Love of Larceny
by Maradie-Mistieana
Summary: The sequel to Wicked Love! Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer can finally return to the Junkyard, after the war...But things have changed greatly in three years. And a new ghost is haunting them both. Review and I shall grant thee new chapters!
1. The Ghost

"Teazer! Look what I found!"

Rumpleteazer turned around to see her brother, Mungojerrie, running across the parking lot towards her. As he drew closer, she noticed that he was holding something sparkly in his right paw.

"Ooo!" She squealed, realizing what it was.

She leapt up and snatched the pearls from his paw. "Ooo, Jerrie, they're beautiful!"

Her eyes sparkled with the reflection of the precious pearls as she studied them. "Nothing's too good for my little sister!" Jerrie said, with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

Teazer looked at him with a sour pout, "I'm only younger by 3 minutes!"

She aimed a swipe at his head, which he dodged with a smirk. "You need to work on your aim, little sister!"

And with that, he ran across the parking lot and out of sight. Rumpleteazer sighed and began packing away all the things she had managed to steal that day. A knife, a can of tuna, a small box of jewelry, a petticoat- the usual loot. The Humans that lived near the Junkyard were stupid enough to leave their windows open almost all of the time. She wasn't worried about getting caught because the most they could do to her was throw her out of their house; and then she would just climb back in!

Teazer allowed herself a moment's rest, and then stood up. She had to go after Jerrie. He was brilliant at thieving, but his sense of direction was almost nonexistent. He would never be able to find the Junkyard on his own. With a sigh, she slung her thieving bag over her shoulder and set off into the night.

* * *

Two hours later, the duo returned to the Junkyard in bitter silence. Teazer had found Jerrie almost immediately, but he had refused her help, insisting that he knew exactly where he was going. They had wondered together, seeing almost all of London, but getting nowhere near home. Finally, Jerrie admitted defeat and let Teazer take the lead, skeptical that she would be able to lead them any better. She got them home in five minutes.

"Told you!" She said snobbily as they entered the clearing.

"You did not!" Jerrie cried, "I was about to get us here when I allowed you to take the lead!"

"ALLOWED me? You begged me to take you home!"

The pair bickered all the way to their den and as they curled up to sleep. After another half hour of fighting in bed, Jerrie called a truce and promptly fell asleep.

Teazer, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. She was so angry at her brother, so furious at his stubborn and know-it-all attitude that she couldn't sleep. He was always so sure that was right, always took the credit for everything that she did, always, always, always!

With a snarl, she leapt out of her bed and ran out of the den that they shared, into their treasure trove. It was a beautiful sight to her, normally. The walls were lined with shelves and on them were the best things a cat could think of- trinkets, yarn, food, cans, newspapers, and pearls, stacks and stacks of pearls. However, none were as beautiful as the Wolsworth pearls that Jerrie had found for her earlier that night, and they lay in front, on proud display. For a moment, Teazer stared at them, her brow furrowed. And then she struck, grabbing the string that held the beads and snapping it clean in half. The beads flew all over the floor. She grabbed another string of pearls, and broke that one too, the sound of the clattering balls on the floor music to her ears. She kept going, growing angrier and angrier with every passing strand that she tore. Finally, after she had broken the last strand, she whirled around, ramming her fist through a mirror that sat on the other side of the trove. It shattered with a satisfying CRACK, a long, thin fracture running through the glass and webbing out across it.

As Teazer seethed, looking around for something else to break, she felt a stabbing pain in her paw. She looked down and saw a big shard of glass stabbing through her paw, blood trickling from the edges. She screamed and tried desperately to pull it out, only succeeding in increasing the pain. After a couple of seconds, she gave up, and collapsed on the ground, cradling her hurt paw. She sniffled, determined not to shed a tear. What would her father said whenever she hurt herself?

_Crying won't solve anything, Rumple…_

_But Daddy, it hurts!_

_Go tell Jerrie, sweetheart, he'll pull it out for you. He has strong paws; this old man can't pull out a splinter like that…_

_He'll hurt me!_

_Alright, alright…We'll do this together. I'll pull on three, alright? One…Two…._

"OW!!!"

Rumpleteazer had made another daring attempt at the glass, which had only resulted in more blood. She whimpered, tears running down her face in frustration and anguish.

"Come now, Rumple….Tears won't fix your paw…"

With a watery gasp, Teazer shot up, looking around, her eyes wide with fear. There was no one around, just the shattered remains of the mirror, the pearls, and the rest of their treasure. "Who…Who's there?" She asked shakily.

"A friend, child…Come, let me help you. I'll fix that nasty splinter…"

Just as Rumpleteazer was about to run back into the den, crying out for Mungojerrie, she became aware of something. At first, she wasn't able to put her claw on what at changed, but then she realized…No more pain! She glanced down. The glass was gone! Completely gone! And, stranger still, there was no sign that it had ever been there at all!

"Do not be frightened, little one…" The voice murmured. It was male, as far as Teazer could tell, "I'm here to help you…"

"Where are you?" She whispered. The voice was so solemn and grave that she felt she should be quieter.

"I am everywhere…I am in your mind."

"My…My mind?"

"Yes…And what a beautiful mind it is. Rumpleteazer, my dear…You are much smarter than your brother, aren't you? He is such a fool…You are the real mastermind behind all the crimes that you perform…"

The voice was so soft, so soothing…Teazer felt as though it was almost…hypnotizing her. It was glorious, not to have to feel or think.

The voice continued gently, "I feel your sorrow, Teazer. I too was the second born. No matter what I did, I could never be the best…Never be the first."

As Teazer glanced around yet again, trying to find the speaker, she happened upon the cracked mirror. In it, she could see a small ball of light on the edge of the horizon beyond the den. The voice become suddenly hurried, "I must away, and you must go back to sleep, darling…"

"Wait!" She cried, "I don't even know your name! Tell me who you are!"

But the voice was gone, and with it, the bliss of no feeling. Teazer groaned as pain shot through her paw again. The glass was gone, but she could almost feel it there…Like a ghost, she decided. A piece of ghost glass.


	2. Sibling Love

**NEXT CHAPTER UP! Cockney accents- HARD TO RIGHT, SO BE NICE! Apparently, Teazer has quite the little temper! Tut, tut...**

* * *

The next morning found Teazer fast asleep on the floor of her den. Nothing could rouse her, not even Etcetera's excited squeals when the Rum Tum Tugger actually remembered her name. Needless to say, Mungojerrie was beside himself with worry, but to his surprise, Alonzo seemed to share his pain. He stayed by Rumpleteazer for hours on end, keeping Jerrie company and watching her while Jerrie went to get food. Finally, at 3:00 in the afternoon, she woke up for the first time that day, asking why in the world it was so bright out.

"It's 3:00, you sleepy little kitten!" Said Mungojerrie, giving Teazer a playful nip on the ear.

"Mmph…Am not a sleepy…Get off Jerrie!" She swatted at him blindly, missing by miles and hitting Alonzo's leg.

"OW!!!" He yelled, trying to pull Tugger's claws out of his thigh.

But she only held on tighter, thinking she had finally caught her brother. Alonzo was still grabbing at her paw, prying her claws out of his flesh. Using his thigh as a brace, Teazer heaved herself up to his level and realized her mistake. "Alonzo?!" She cried, toppling over backwards in surprise, "I'm so sorry!"

She retracted her claws and Alonzo let out a great sigh of relief. Jerrie, meanwhile, was rolling on the floor in fits of hysterical laughter. "It's not funny!" Teazer protested.

"Yes…Yes it…it is!" Jerrie said, gasping desperately for breath between words.

"Maybe to you." Alonzo muttered, "But personally, I don't think getting clawed half to death is very funny."

"I'm sorry, 'lonzo…" Teazer mumbled sheepishly, "I didn't know…I thought you were Jerrie!"

Alonzo bent his head towards with a soft smile, "It's alright. I've had worse scratches from the Henchcats!"

He gave a short laugh that gave Teazer a strange, elated feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going out to clean up our treasure trove. I think a Pollicle got in there last night!"

Jerrie gave a smile and left, leaving Alonzo and Teazer alone. Teazer blushed, half from embarrassment at being left alone with Alonzo, half from shame at having caused Jerrie such trouble. Alonzo, being the gentletom that he was, pretended not to notice. Instead, he looked down at his leg, which was now almost completely covered in blood.

"Oh my everlasting cat! Let me help you…"

Teazer grabbed a nearby sheet from the floor, and pressed it tightly against the wound.

"Teazer, I'm fine!" Alonzo protested, "I've had so much worse than this, you don't need to wrap it up."

He got shakily to his feet and promptly fell back down again. "Stay still!" Teazer said sternly, "You're gonna hurt yourself even more!"

Taking on a motherly stance that was completely alien to her, Rumpleteazer bustled around the den, dabbing a bit of this and a pinch of that to the wound, then wrapping several layers of cloth around it. When she was finally satisfied, Alonzo's thigh looked about three times bigger than normal.

"There you are, 'lonz!" Teazer said brightly, stepping back to admire her handiwork, "Good as new!"

Gingerly, Alonzo got to his feet. His legs were shaking like mad, but he was able to balance on two, which was nice because otherwise he would have had to adopt the four legged pose that most feral cats used. Jellicles considered it demeaning, considering how close in intelligence they were to the two legged Humans. Teazer was beside herself with joy. "Ooo, 'lonzo, let's go show everyone how well I fixed you up!"

Alonzo gave the eager Queen a weary smile, "Well, Teazer, I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll just go back to my-"

"Den? Oh! Okay! I'll walk you there!"

This wasn't what Alonzo had intended. He shifted from one foot to the other, wincing as he put weight on his hurt foot. Teazer looked so excited; he couldn't possibly let her down. With a resigned sigh, he nodded. Teazer smiled happily and grabbed his arm, nearly pulling it out of its socket. "Come on!" She squealed, "If we hurry, we can show someone along the way!"

She dragged Alonzo out of the den, through the mussed-up treasure trove (Which Mungojerrie seemed to have abandoned as a bad job) and into the clearing of the Junkyard.

As a note of interest, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had managed to acquire one of the most coveted dens in the Junkyard. It was located directly next to the giant tire, allowing quick getaways for a cat nap during meetings or any other gathering. The reason they had gotten the den wasn't because they were particularly special or anything, but because Old Dueteronomy took great pleasure in their finds from thieving. He thought it quite amusing, the things they found, and he enjoyed speculating with the two young thieves about what they might be used for. Technically, thieving wasn't permitted in the Junkyard, but no one was being harmed by it, and everyone knew that they weren't going to report their finds to Macavity, so they were given the coveted den.

Several cats were sitting against the tire, talking and laughing loudly. Mungojerrie was among them, and it was he that noticed them first. "What the….Teazer, what the hell did you do to poor 'lonzo?!"

Rumpleteazer frowned as the other cats turned around. "I fixed 'im up and put a wrap on 'im! Can't you tell?"

"Well, to be 'onest, no." Jerrie eyed Alonzo's enlarged thigh, "Looks more like you wrapped 'im in blankets."

The cats near Jerrie started to chuckle quietly, except for Asparagus, whose large, booming laugh was always the same.

Rumpleteazer felt a small lump forming in her throat. "He got 'urt, so I-"

"He got 'urt?!" Jerrie shook his head in amusement, "You mean you clawed 'im half to death!"

The other cats laughed even harder, and spit started flying out of Asparagus's mouth as he rolled on the ground, pounding it with his fist.

Alonzo smiled weakly and muttered, "It's okay, Teazer…"

"No, it's not!" Teazer shouted. A tiny tear had found its way out of her eye, and it seemed that all of her bottled up anger had come out with it. "You ruin everything for me, Jer! You're such a…a…jerk!"

The clearing was silent now. Jerrie was staring at Teazer like he'd never seen anything like her before. With a last choked sob, Teazer turned on her heel and fled the scene. She ran until she felt that she could run no more, through piles and mounds of trash, through fences, through pipes, through her anger and tears.


	3. A New Home

**This is a short chapter, but whatever, not much time to write today. Please check out my polls!**

* * *

After what seemed like days- no, weeks of running, Rumpleteazer finally stopped, collapsing on her weak legs, crying like she had never cried before. In fact, Teazer had never really cried before. Being such a Tom cat had its disadvantages. But she had to act that way, around Mungojerrie….Jerrie.

Teazer sniffled louder, tiny tears running down her face. Damn her temper! Now she wouldn't be able to go back…Ever, she decided. Jerrie would laugh at her, and things just…wouldn't be the same. Not now and not ever.

As her cried subsided, Teazer finally gathered to courage to look around, to see where she had stopped. She raised her head, and her eyes widened in shock.

The area looked almost like a miniature version of the Junkyard. It was surrounded by a low fence (that would keep the Pollicles out, Teazer decided), except for a small hole that must have been where she had entered. Inside the fence were heaps and heaps of trash. Or, at least, what Humans seemed to think was trash. To Teazer, it was a wonderland unlike any other. The rusted old cans on the ground were treasure holders, and traps, for mice. The beat up pillow sitting under a rickety table with three legs was a bed fit for a Queen. The yellowing newspapers that littered the various trash cans were blankets and sheet. The old tire was….She gulped, staring down at the small tire. It looked like an exact copy of the centerpiece of the real Junkyard. A sudden wave of home-sickness swept over her. Would the other Jellicles miss her at all? No, she thought, they wouldn't. In fact, they were probably glad that she was gone.

The rest of the night passed in a similar manner. Teazer bustled about, getting her new home ready. Occasionally, she would spot something that reminded her of the Junkyard, and she would lapse into memories of the old days.

When the sun finally began to sink behind the piles of Human trash, Teazer curled up beneath the three-legged table, and lay her head on her paws. Her body was exhausted, but her brain was wide awake, whirling around inside her head. What was going to become of her? Was she actually going to have to live in this place? True, it looked much better than when she had first arrived, but it simply wasn't the Junkyard that she had grown up in. It wasn't home. And where in the world was she going to go for food? She could steal from Humans, but they were bound to notice if food began to disappear on a regular basis. She could hunt…but she had never been much good at that. That had been her brother's area of expertise.

Teazer stood up with a sigh. It was hopeless. She couldn't fall asleep. She stretched out her paws and flexed her claws lazily. As she returned to her normal stance, she sensed something strange, something…not right. She looked around the yard, which was growing increasing lighter with the rising sun. Nothing was there. And then…a low, soothing voice began to speak.

"…You poor dear…What are you doing here all on your own?"

That voice! "…Is that you?" She whispered into the darkness.

She would have called the Tom by name, but, seeing as she hadn't a clue what the Tom's name was, she couldn't.

"Yes…" The voice whispered, "Why are you here?"

"I…The other Jellicles don't understand me…They don't want me there."

"The Jellicles are fools! They do not know what they are doing, or what they are giving up in sending you away! Do not believe them, Rumple…"

Teazer furrowed her brow, "I…I don't think that they're fools….They're my family! My brother is a Jellicle, my mother was a Jellicle and my father….my father was a Jellicle too! And so am I!" Her defiant tone rang out, and for a moment, there was silence.

"Of course…For a moment, I forgot…Forgive me."

"It's okay…" Teazer mumbled, "I'm not really a Jellicle anymore. I don't want to live in the Junkyard my whole life. I guess I never really did. That's why I always go out thieving. I'd go crazy if I stayed in a den all day long. I guess I'm just not like other cats."

"And that is what makes you so wonderful. You have a thirst for knowledge and adventure, something that most don't have. And I can quench that thirst, love…I can show you the world and all of its wonders I can teach you everything the world has to offer us! I can show you how to live, really live!"

"…What?" Teazer looked up, unsure what to say or do. "I mean…I barely know you…I don't even know what your name is…"

Again, there was silence as, presumably, the Tom thought. "You may call me Dymian…"

"Dymian…" Teazer whispered, trying the name out on her tongue.

"Yes…Let me teach you..." He said softly, "Let me show you the world…"

She gulped loudly, "I…I'm not sure…Can...Can I tell you tomorrow? I just need some time to think…"

"But of course…Take your time. I will speak to you in the morning…Goodnight, little Rumple…"

"…Goodnight, Dymian."

* * *

**Ooo! Drama! Yes, yes, I know that the name Dymian has been used a THOUSAND times, but, for all we know, that might not be his real name! OOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! :P CHECK MY POLLS!**


	4. Her Angel of Music

**Haha! It's the return of the Phantom of the Opera lyrics! GOTTA LOVE IT! ^_^ I used the original lyrics, which are much better, and yeah...that's that! Little did you know that every cat in the world has an AMAZING singing voice! :D**

* * *

The next evening, Teazer woke very early. It was still light outside, with a hint of pink and red on the horizon to suggest that night was on its way. As she stood up and stretched, a layer of dust and dirt fell from her coat, "Ugh!"

Teazer turned around in a circle, trying to catch a glimpse of herself. Her tail was no longer the bright orange that she was used to. It was now a sort of dull brown, with a spot or two of black thrown in. With a sigh, she stretched again, and prepared to clean herself. But, as she sat down, she spotted a small scrap of paper on the ground. The words on it were handwritten, not newsprint, and as she drew closer, she could see the words written there:

Rumpleteazer,

I hope that this note finds you awake and well. I brought you some food for breakfast; I thought it much easier than having to hunt for your meal. I apologize for not being here when you woke, but I was called away in the night on urgent business. I will return soon.

Your angel,

Dymian

Beside the note was a small pile of fish, cold and wonderful. With an excited squeal, Teazer pounced upon it, gulping it down with an absolutely unheard of hunger. She had never really been a ladylike Queen, no matter what the other Jellicles tried to push into her. When the last of the meat had been cleaned off of the bones, she sat down and began to carefully lick herself clean.

A few moments and a few thousand licks later, her coat was shining like new. With a satisfied smile, she stood back up and surveyed the scene of her new home. The sun was creeping down in the sky, reflecting off of the various objects in her sanctuary; the tin cans, the rusty pipes, and the occasional glass bottle. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just normal, Human trash.

But if there was nothing strange around, then why was there a strange scent to the air? Why was there a sense of danger closing in? If she hadn't been wiser, she would have been certain that it was Dymian, back to see her again- but she wasn't so naïve. Dymian never caused her back to arch so, or such a violent hiss to spill from her lips…She shivered. Something was very wrong…

"Teazer?"

That small voice sent Teazer over the edge. She screamed bloody murder and dove back under the table, cowering. There was silence for a moment; and then the sound of pawsteps growing closer and closer…

"Teazer, it's me! Jemimia!"

"Jemimia?"

Teazer turned slowly around to see the freckled face of Jemimia staring back at her, her eyes wide and worried, "Jemimia!"

She leapt up and caught the little Queen in a bone-crunching hug. "Hey! Get off! Get off!"

Jemimia scratched and squirmed until Teazer finally released her, crying in wonder, "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you home! We miss you!" She batted her wide caramel colored eyes, "I miss you, Teaz!"

"What? I can't go back!" Teazer frowned and stepped away from the small kitten, "Nobody misses me…Jerrie doesn't miss me, that much I know! And they 'ate me there! I can't do any of the things I like to do! Thieving…They're talking about outlawing thieving for good! I can't deal with that, Jemimia! I can't!"

"What are you talking about? Since when are they going to stop you from thieving? Old Deuteronomy loves your work!"

"Yeah, 'e does, but Munkustrap doesn't…As soon as 'e gets in charge, he'll wipe me and Jerrie out! Besides….That's not the only reason I'm staying 'ere…"

Jemimia cocked her head to one side, a confused look on her face, "What?"

"There's…Jemimia, promise you won't laugh!"

"I promise!"

"Okay…There's…a voice that speaks to me….It's a Tom's voice…Oh, you should 'ear 'im! The most heavenly voice….His name is Dymian and he's been watching over me…And…I think 'he was sent by my dad…"

"Your dad?! But Teazer, he's-"

"I know 'e's dead! That's why I think 'e sent Dymian! From the Heaviside layer…"

"Teazer….Do you really believe this? Do you really think the spirit of your father is speaking to you?"

"Who else could it be? Who?"

There was silence as Jemimia contemplated this, "Maybe…Maybe you're just imagining it….Maybe there is no voice!"

Rumpleteazer leapt up, outraged, her paws balling into fists, "How could you say that?! You have no idea what….I know that my father sent Dymian to me! He sent him to protect me…"

"But…"

"Get out."

"Teazer, please-"

"OUT!!!"

Her furious cry echoed around the fenced in area. Jemimia screamed in terror and fled the scene, tail between legs.

Alone again, and feeling desperately sad now that she had chased off her best friend, Teazer broke into tears again, burying her face into the tattered pillow. As she finally sniffled her way back to silence, she heard a very familiar voice whisper, "Hush now, dear…Do not cry…I will protect you…"

"Dymian…"

"Shh….I am here now…You are safe."

Even though she had woken up only a half an hour before, Teazer felt exhausted from her ordeal with Jemimia. "Thank you…Dymian?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Can you…When I couldn't sleep, when I was a kitten, my father would sometimes…Hold me…And sing to me…It would help me fall asleep…Could you-"

"Say no more, Rumple…I will stay with you."

Suddenly, Teazer felt a strange presence near her waist and back. It was almost like a warm breeze had wrapped its arms around her, and was pulling her tight into its embrace. Her hear pounded, Teazer leaned into the breeze and, finding it solid, settled herself against it. The breeze ruffled against her skin, and ran its fingers through her fur. A soft voice began to sing. The voice was obviously Dymian's, but, transferred into song, his voice was nothing short of a miracle.

"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation  
Darkness wakes and stirs imagination  
Silently the senses abandon their defenses  
Helpless to resist the notes I write, for I compose the music of the night…"

The song was completely unlike any Jellicle lullaby that Teazer had heard before. The Jellicle lullabies were all very old and tired sounding, no matter how beautiful the voice was that sang them. Goodness knows that Jemimia, poor thing, was always struggling to make a name for herself in the Junkyard with those dreadful songs. This song, on the other hand, was soft and floaty, a pleasure to listen to even if one wasn't trying to fall asleep.

"Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor  
Grasp it, sense it - tremulous and tender  
Hearing is believing,  
Music is decieving  
Hard as lightning ,  
Soft as candlelight  
Dare you trust the music of the night?

Close your eyes for your eyes will only tell the truth and the truth isn't what you want to see  
In the dark it is easy to pretend  
that the truth is what it ought to be!"

As Dymian hit the climatic note, Teazer felt herself drift off to sleep. And, although she did not hear or see it, he continued his song as a black paw traced her delicate cheek and jaw.

"You alone can make my song take flight...Help me make the music of the….Night…."


	5. Realization

Mungojerrie paced in his den, uneasily lifting his head every few seconds to check the entrance. Alonzo was sitting nearby, watching the floor in sullen silence. He hadn't spoken since he had learned that Rumpleteazer was missing.

"Where are they?!" Jerrie shouted suddenly, ramming his paw against the wall of the oven (which made up his den) in anger.

"Calm down." Said Alonzo in a monotone voice, "I'm sure they're on their way back with her…You know how she is, Jerrie…She doesn't like to listen to anyone…"

"It's alright for you!" Jerrie yelled, rounding on the spotted Tom, "That's my sister out there! And she thinks I want 'er gone and that I don't give a damn about 'er! It's not true…I swear it isn't!"

Alonzo slowly raised his head, looking up at Jerrie with vacant eyes. "I know it isn't…I know you care about her…"

"No, you don't! You can't possibly know 'ow it feels, to have 'er run out on you like that! To 'ave-"

"SHUT UP, JERRIE!!!" Alonzo cried, suddenly leaping to his feet, anger in his eyes, "You think I don't care what happens to her?! You think she doesn't matter to me?! I LOVE HER!"

There was silence as Mungojerrie stared at Alonzo with a confused and shocked expression, "You…What?"

"I love her…" Alonzo whispered, his face growing slightly red.

"Oh…Well, then…That's different…"

Jerrie plopped down onto his bed, staring at Alonzo with newfound interest. "For 'ow long?"

"Ever since we were kittens…" The spotted Tom said in a slightly calmer voice, "I always had a…special liking for her, I suppose…"

"But…Then why didn't you mate with 'er? That stupid furball, Tugger, dumped 'er ages ago!'

"Cassandra." Alonzo sighed heavily. "She'll go mad if I leave her…She depends on me, I keep her sane, she says."

Jerrie nodded with an understanding look. They were in the same boat now, so to speak. They both just wanted the perky Queen back.

At that moment, three cats came running into the room; Rumpleteazer's search party had returned! Skimbleshanks and Mistoffelees ran in first and Jemimia followed close behind, looking slightly out of place.

"I searched the entire Junkyard!" Misto gasped, wiping his brow, "She's not here!"

"She isn't in the No-Man's land either." Skimble said, with an apologetic nod to Jerrie, "Sorry, mate…"

Jerrie didn't say anything. He simply turned to Jemimia, who was now his very last hope for information.

"I…I didn't…" Jemimia stuttered. She looked up at the desperate Tom, her heart heavy with guilt. "She…She's not near the Humans…"

Alonzo closed his eyes with a shaky sigh, and Jerrie muttered, "Oh Heaviside…"

As the two Toms stared blankly at each, wondering what in the world they were going to do next, Jemimia closed her eyes and whispered softly to herself, "I hope you know what you're doing, Teazer…I hope you know…"

Rumpleteazer woke later that night in a daze. Her eyes felt heavy and stiff. She couldn't possibly bring herself to open them. What had happened…There was something soft and fluffy beneath her, something very comfortable. Was that her bed? Maybe…Maybe she was in her den! It was all a dream, Teazer concluded. She would open her eyes, and be back in her den with Jerrie….A Jerrie that cared about her, like he had when their father was alive. Back home in the Junkyard, where there were no strange voices, where she was safe from the world.

With an eager smile, Teazer opened her eyes- and found herself exactly where she had fallen asleep. On the tattered old pillow, underneath the three-legged table. Her face fell as she realized that she was still in the mini-junkyard.

Teazer sighed softly, and suddenly became aware that the soft, fluffy thing beneath her was moving. It almost seemed to be breathing…With a squeal, she leapt away from the thing and pressed herself against a large pipe, staring at the black mass of fur that she had been lying against.

As she watched with growing horror, the mass moved slightly, and two, beady blue eyes appeared. They stared at her, unblinking and unfeeling, two ice cold portals that seemed to stare straight into her soul. The mass moved again, and began to stand up, straightening itself to full height. First, its legs, long and thick, tense with hidden muscles. Then its chest and torso, rippling as it flexed its muscles. Next were its arms, strong, with claws extended at the paw. And finally, its head, rising gracefully above its body, with three long white scars across its muzzle.

"Oh my everlasting cat…." Teazer breathed, "Are you…Oh God…"

The Tom simply stared at her with an expression of deepest longing and remorse. His eyes were still ice cold, but there was now something else there as well…He extended a helpless paw to her, begging her for forgiveness and acceptance. Teazer pressed herself more firmly against the wall, her mouth open in a silent scream.

"Please Rumple…I'm sorry…I should have told you I-"

"GET AWAY!!!" Teazer cried, finding her voice again, "GET AWAY FROM ME, DYMIAN!"

Dymian cringed, as though the sound of his own name caused him physical pain. "Rumple, listen to me, please-"

"No!"

"LISTEN!!!"

Dymian thrust his paws forward and caught Teazer's shoulders, slamming them back against the pipe with a sickening smack. She moaned in pain, not daring to speak or protest again.

"Listen to me, you stupid Jellicle! For once in your pathetic life, shut up and listen! I am a Henchcat!" He spat out the words with great contempt, "I was bred to kill! My whole body is built for destruction!"

As if to emphasize the point, he began to dig his claws into Teazer's back, creating tiny pin-pricks of pain that stung and brought a few tears to her eyes.

"But…But I don't want to kill…" Dymian's voice grew softer, though his grip did not. "I want to be…To be loved by the one Queen that caught my eye…The only female worthy of brilliance such as mine…You, my dove…"

Rumpleteazer looked up at the Tom who had protected her and who had now betrayed her. She studied his face, horribly disfigured by the scars that stretched from his left eye, across his nose, to just under his chin, "Dymian…I…You lied to me, and…Who did this to you?"

The Tom looked at her, his eyes pouring love across her face. He seemed not to hear her question, and whispered softly, "My love…Together, we could have the world at our feet….We could do anything we wanted….No one, nothing could stop us…"

Teazer allowed a soft sigh to escape her lips as she thought, her mind racing to take in Dymian's words. She wanted too much to say yes, to go with him and to never, ever have to think about the Jellicles again. She wanted so badly to tell him how her heart leapt at the sound of his voice. But she couldn't…He had lied to her! And he was a Henchcat. A monster. Even if he hadn't lied, she couldn't love him. How could she fall in love with a monster? And how could a monster love her back?"

"I…I can't…Dymian, we're…We're different…"

Dymian's eyes sparkled with…Could those be tears? Was it possible that a monster such as him could cry? "Please, Rumple…We are not that different…What horrible difference do you see between us?"

Teazer paused. What difference was there? For a split second, she truly could not think of a single thing. Then a wave of anger washed over her. What was she thinking? They were as different as two cats could possibly be! "You…You're a Henchcat! You…You kill Jellicles all the time! And…I'm a Jellicle! Who's to say that you won't kill me too?"

"I would never…I could never kill you…You don't belong to any Jellicle clan, love..You belong to me now…And you always will."

Dymian smiled devilishly, resuming his extremely tight grip on Teazer's shoulders. She felt as though his words were reaching inside her, intertwining his soul with hers, making them one without her consent.

"No…Let me go…Please…"

Her vision was growing blurry; she could not see Dymian clearly anymore, just a black mass that seemed to be growing smaller and smaller before her eyes, draining away to who knew where. All she was clearly aware of was Dymian's grip on her shoulders, and an odd feeling that she could not place; the feeling that something was seeping through her skin and into her very soul.

"I will show you how to live…"

* * *

**Wow! INSTENSE! Just to confirm, I know there has been confusion, but we are still in the past, people! This is two years before Wicked Love took place! Just making sure you knew. We will be fast forwarding soon, just bare with me, because this is ESSENTIAL INFO! :P Plus, you have to read Wicked Love for later stuff to make sense, okay? Please don't be like, "What is Macavity doing in the Junkyard?!" -.- Seriously? READ THE FIRST STORY!!!! Thankys, love ya guys! :P**


	6. Look With Your Heart

**Oh boy, I have a LOT to explain, don't I? Okay, I was sitting at home last night, rereading Wicked Love for ideas on characterization and stuff when I had a stroke of BRILLANCE! I can't tell you what I thought of, it will ruin everything, but I can tell you this- I had a good reason for changing Electra to Jemimia, which will be revealed laterl, and there will be PHANTOM GALORE in the rest of the story. So, if you can't stand the refrences, stop reading now. It's only going to get worse. Why do I add these references, you ask? Because Cats depends so heavily on music, and I can't bear to take all of that away!**

Jemimia was sleeping soundly in her den when she was jolted awake by a sudden cry. Someone just outside her den had screamed! She sat up, opening her eyes wide to see through the gloom. Now the same voice was crying and, judging by those heavy gasps, it belonged to a Tom. In a shaky voice, she whispered, "…Hello?"

The cries lessened slightly, and Mungojerrie's voice murmured back, "Jemimia? …Did I wake you up? I'm sorry…"

"I was awake anyway." Jemimia lied.

With a purr, she crept closer to the entrance of the den and sat down, watching the sullen form that she assumed was Jerrie. "What's wrong? ….Is it Teazer?"

The form nodded its head, saying softly, "Yea…I…I miss 'er…But don't worry about me. I'm fine…"

"No, you're not. Don't treat me like I'm stupid, Jer, you know that I'm not. And she'll be alright…I know she will. She's tougher than you give her credit for."

Jemimia watched as the form wiped its eyes with a paw. "Yea…She'll be okay… Jemimia?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Are you…Are you sure that you didn't see anything?"

Jemimia said nothing at first. Her eyes were accustomed to the dark now, and she could see Jerrie's face as he looked at her. His face was fixed, a simple, pleading look that nearly broke her heart. She wanted to tell him what she had seen. She wanted to let him know that Teazer was alive and well. But she knew that, if she did, she would have to tell him about this Dymian character. And something told her that that wasn't a good idea.

"I'm positive…I'm sorry, Jer…But I know she's got to be out there."

Jerrie nodded silently, closing his eyes against her words. "Ok…I'm…I'm going to go to bed, okay?"

Jemimia nodded back and placed a soft paw on his shoulder, "Are you sure that you're going to be alright?"

Her touch sent shivers down his spine and it was a wonder that she couldn't see the obvious relish of her touch that his face was betraying. "Oh…Yea…I'll be fine…"

He gave a shaky smile and stood up, stretching out his paws and claws.

Jemimia stood up as well. The tips of her ears just barely reached the top of his nose when she was at her full height. Her eyes were just about level with his lips. They were soft, and perfectly shaped, curving up into a gentle smile, despite how awful he must have felt.

All of the sudden, with no warning at all, Jemimia had a desperate, uncontrollable urge to kiss him; to lock her lips to his and never break away. She trembled and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. What was wrong with her? She'd never felt anything like that for Jerrie before! He had always been like a brother to her, and Teazer, a sister. She had never had a family until Munkustrap had found her cowering in a cardboard box on the side of the road. The Junkyard had been her home ever since, and the twin's father had taken her in. She had never before even considered being Jerrie's mate or anything more than a friend.

"Jemimia…Do you mind if I stay 'ere tonight?"

Jemimia jumped, and snapped out of her fantasies. "What?"

"I'm just….I'm not used to sleeping in a den by myself. Teazer normally sleeps next to me, and sometimes she…You know…Sings me to sleep. And…Would you mind if I stayed with you?"

Jemimia stared up at Jerrie. Her heart began to turn flip-slops in her chest as she heard his request. She had never really noticed how handsome he was, or how the tips of his ears turned bright pink when he was embarrassed, "Oh…Of course not, Jerrie. You're welcome to stay in my den…"

Jerrie looked half pleased, half relieved at her consent. "Thanks, Jem…I owe you one."

"No problem…" Jemimia took a step back, allowing Jerrie to enter her modest den.

Jerrie nodded as he started to walk past her, trying his very hardest not to look at the pretty young Queen. He was very aware of the beauty that seemed to pulse around her, the intoxicating smell that only she possessed.

What was wrong with him? He had always been so in control of his emotions, so careful not to let them show that sometimes he barely felt them himself. This gorgeous Queen nearly brought him to his knees. And it was hard to believe that once, she had been a tiny fuzz ball of fur, and kitten that adored him as a brother. And now she had blossomed into an elegant Queen that he was horribly and achingly in love with.

Her waist, once a simple line connecting her chest to her hips, had thinned considerably, leaving her with a violent hourglass shape. Her black freckles that circled her muzzle had softened, making the transition from creamy to white much lovelier. Her tail, which used to be a short little thing, had grown to such a length that, when she stood still, it curled nicely around her left leg, without her slightest movement to make it so.

"…Jerrie? Are you alright?"

Mungojerrie jumped and realized that he had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Jemimia. "Oh…Um…Sorry."

He flushed, and hurried the rest of the way into the den. Jemimia followed close behind. "So…I guess you can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the ground."

Jerrie quickly shook his head, "No way! I sleep on the floor all the time when I go out thieving! You sleep on the bed, I'll be fine…"

Jemimia was prepared to protest, but one look at Jerrie's face told her that it was pointless. With a resigned sigh, she pulled back the sheets and lay down, propping her head up on her elbow. "Are you sure that you'll be alright?"

Jerrie waved his arm carelessly, "Don't worry 'bout me, Jem. I could sleep anywhere! How's about a song to tuck us in?"

Jemimia smiled and cleared her throat, her mind whirling to find a song that he would like. She finally settled on one that they had heard while sitting outside of one of the many theaters that dotted London- one that they had taken a liking to.

"Love's a curious thing  
It often comes disguised  
Look at love the wrong way  
It goes unrecognized…"

Mungojerrie smiled as he heard the beautiful notes pouring from Jemimia's mouth. He relaxed on the floor, using a stray pile of newspapers as a pillow.

"So look with your heart…  
And not with your eyes!  
The heart can't be fooled…"

Softly, Jerrie sung the next lyrics. Most of the time, his voice wasn't much to hear, often overshadowed by his sister's brazen style, but he truly had a lovely voice, if you took the time to hear it correctly.

"The heart is too wise…  
Forget what you think…"

Jemimia gladly sang with Jerrie. They had often done this together, in the quiet cool nights when Rumpleteazer was already asleep, or out thieving on her own. But this time…It was different.

"Ignore what you hear!"

Together, they sang-

"Look with your heart!  
It always sees clear…"

Mungojerrie, to his surprise, thought he felt tears coming to his eyes. She had no idea that what he sang was so true…She couldn't see how beautiful they could be together.

"Love is not always beautiful…  
Not at the start."

Though Jerrie didn't know it, Jemimia was going through much the same thing on top of the bed. She sang the last bit with as much feeling as she could manage, hoping against hope that he would feel what she was trying to convey.

"But open your arms  
And close your eyes tight  
Look with your heart  
And when it finds love  
Your heart will be right…"

* * *

**Yes, yes, I know. I HATE LOVE NEVER DIES (the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, to those of you who don't know) TOO! But some of the music is REALLY good. I was actually thinking of rewriting the meeting of Graci and Macavity in Wicked Love and using The Beauty Underneath as a song instead! xD Anyway, listen to this song (Look With Your Heart) while reading for full effect ^_^ ENJOY!**


	7. Return

**PLEASE READ!!!**

**Okay, I know that some people are confused on the timeline here, so let me help you out. Let's say that the orginal Cats musical took place in Year Two. The prolouge of Wicked Love took place in Year Zero, Wicked Love itself took place in Year Three, the prolouge of Love of Larceny (What we're in right now) takes place in Year One, and the actual Love of Larceny (which will start soon!) takes place in Year Four. Get it? Got it? GOOD! Let's begin! Let me know if you don't understand! :)**

**I also have a question that needs asking. I've got several possible ways this story could go, and I need your help deciding, SO- Do you guys like the musical Mungojerrie? I need an answer ASAP, please! Thank you, and I love you all! *Gives out free cookies* ^_^**

**I'm sorry this chapter is short! DON'T HATE ME!!! *Cowers***

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The sleeping lovers woke the next evening to a loud bang outside the den. At first, Jemimia was inclined to roll over and go back to sleep. She had had a fitful enough night without this rude awakening and she had been looking forward to sleeping in late. But, just as she was contemplating this happy possibility, Mungojerrie shot up and looked over at her. "Do you think….Maybe that's Teazer!"

Jemimia chewed on her lip slowly. She seriously doubted that Rumpleteazer had returned…But she hated to let Jerrie down. "Ya…Maybe…"

Jerrie jumped to his feet, anxiously pawing at the ground, "Come on, then! Let's find out! Hurry!"

Jemimia sighed and pulled herself out of bed, yawning loudly. After a few seconds of stretching, Jerrie hurried out of the den and into the clearing to see what had happening.

There, in the dirt, sat Rumpleteazer, looking dazed and confused. Her eyes were cloudy and indifferent, and her coat was pale. Jerrie gave a cry and rushed forward, hugging her tightly. "TEAZER!" He cried, "You're alright! You're alright!"

"Ya…I…I'm fine…" She whispered softly, "Jerrie…We gotta go."

"Go?" Jemimia had just stepped out of her den to follow Jerrie. She was rubbing her eyes, still yawning, squinting at the bright moonlight. "You only just got back…I'm so glad you're here!"

Jerrie leaned back, smiling bright, his arms still wrapped around his still sister, "We don't 'ave to go anywhere. You're safe now, Rumple…"

At the sound of that pet name, Teazer's face darkened, and she stared at her brother, anger filling her eyes, "Don't call me that! DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT! ONLY HE CAN CALL ME THAT!!!!!"

Jerrie jumped back, his eyes wide with fear, "What the…Teazer, what the 'ell is wrong with you?!"

But Rumpleteazer had quickly returned to her semi-normal state. She was staring at the ground again, her eyes cloudy, and her coat pale. It was as though nothing at all had happened. Slowly, she raised her gaunt face again, and whispered, "Please don't use that name…"

Mungojerrie stared at her, his mouth wide open, "Yea…Okay…"

"Come with me, Jerrie….We're going to become Henchcats…"

Only an hour later, Mungojerrie, and a strange mockery of Rumpleteazer stood outside a large, metal warehouse. Teazer was staring at it with a dreamy expression, and Jerrie was scared out of his mind. They had, of course, discussed becoming Henchcats before, because it would give them free reign to thieve whenever and whoever they liked. But this….There was something seriously wrong with his sister. She had dragged him out of the Junkyard, not even letting him say goodbye to Jemimia, who had stared at them, her eyes wide, unable to take in what was happening.

As they stared at the foreboding building, there was a tiny click and a small misshapen door swung open, seemingly of its own accord. Without a word, Teazer stepped through, and Jerrie quickly followed.

Inside the building was a large room, dark and dank. The walls were splattered with blood and who knew what else, and the floor was covered with immobile bodies. Sleeping….Or dead? Jerrie didn't want to think about it. Rumpleteazer was picking her way through the bodies without too much care at all, and Jerrie followed her quickly. She looked back at him as he hopped over bodies, and for the first time since she had returned, there was a hint of a smile on her face.

"Come on, slowpoke!" She whispered, "The Napoleon of Crime won't wait forever!"


	8. Till I Hear You Sing

**This is an indulgent chapter xD Forgive me. I was listening to Love Never Dies, and the music and I just...I dunno, I WAS WEAK! But it was fun to write and it made me happy ^_^ Listen to the music while reading for full effect! For most of the first part, it's just Till I Hear You Sing, though I switched up the lyrics a bit. But the end comes from the reprise, and you HAVE to listen to the end in the reprise, brings tears to my eyes :) I LOVE YOU RAMIN KARIMLOO!!!!! :P Have fun with this!**

**By the way, this is a year after they arrived at Macavity's lair. They have been accepted as Henchcats, as you know and, in reference to Rumpleteazer...She's turning a bit bipolar, as you will soon see, but she has a very good reason for it, which I cannot reveal! :D Read on, dear reviewers, read on!**

* * *

Mungojerrie sat in a secluded corner of the warehouse, shaking hard, trying his best not to cry. He and his sister had just been out thieving agonizingly close to the Junkyard, when he had heard…the most haunting singing…The sweetest voice, calling out those notes that he knew so very well. It had been his lovely Jemimia; he knew that for a fact. And those notes…That was THEIR song! The one they had written together, so many years ago…And now, she was singing it for everyone to hear! Except for him…she wasn't singing for him.

"Two long years.  
Living a mere façade of life…  
Two long years,  
Wasting our time on smoke and noise!"

He stood up, letting his angry and impassioned voice fill the room. No one knew…How could anyone know?! Those songs that she sang, those pretty little notes that she trilled, everything that had ever dropped out of her mouth was his…His compositions!

"In my mind, I hear melodies  
Pure and unearthly…  
But I find I can't give them a voice!  
Without you…"

He sat wearily down on the bench that nearly filled the room again, choking back a soft sob. His little songbird…He had lost her long ago…Why couldn't he let her go?!

"The day starts, the day ends.  
Time crawls by…  
Night steals in, pacing the floor…"

He blankly watched the moonlight creeping along the ground, making his heart swell with music that he knew he could not suppress.

"The moments creep,  
Yet I can't bear to sleep…  
Till I hear you sing…"

Jerrie clasped his paws together, and pressed them to his forehead, still half murmuring notes that had never been in his mind before.

"And weeks pass, and months pass  
Seasons fly…  
Still I ache down to the core!  
And in a haze,  
I count the silent days  
Till I hear you sing once more…"

Suddenly, he shot off of the bench, and started pacing excitedly as he remembered how he had heard her voice, that sweet sweet sound! He cried-

"And music!

Your music!  
It teases at my ear!  
I turn and it fades away,

and you're not here!"

He turned to the tiny window on the wall, throwing his arms out and dropping to his knees, pleading with the Jellicle moon that controlled his and her voice, the thing that had brought them together and torn them apart.

"Let hopes pass! Let dreams pass!  
Let them die!  
Without you, what are they for?

So come what may!

I swear somehow, someway!

I will hear you sing!!!

Once more...!!!"


	9. Leaving

"Jerrie? …Jerrie, wake up….WAKE UP, DAMMIT!"

Mungojerrie screamed like a little kitten, and promptly fell off the shelf that he had been using as a bed, "Oi! What was that for?!"

"It's time to go…"

Rumpleteazer's face loomed in front of him. She didn't look at all concerned that her brother had just fallen onto the concrete floor. "You're the one who keeps sayin' we 'ave to get an early start, and you decide to 'ave a lie in! Let's go!"

Jerrie groaned and dragged himself off the floor. The room was still dark and the shelf that the two had been sleeping on loomed over them. It seemed quite a bit bigger than it had last night.

"Just hang on a moment…I gotta pack my stuff."

Teazer rolled her eyes, "You were supposed to 'ave packed last night!"

"I was tired!"

"So was I!"

"Well, ain't you a bloody saint, then!"

"Jer, you're being stupid!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Piss off!"

"JUST GET PACKED!"

Rumpleteazer stormed out of the room and into the hall. It was pitch black there and after only a moment, Teazer wanted to go back inside, where there was at least a patch or two of moonlight to brighten the room. But, of course, she couldn't. It was the principle of the thing.

As she stared into the gloom, she became aware that the hallway wasn't completelyblack. There were, in fact, two small pinpricks of blue light a little way down the hall. As she watched them, trying to figure out their source, it appeared almost as if the lights were moving closer and closer…

"Rumple…You foolish Queen…You disappoint me."

Teazer screamed loudly and sprinted for the door of the room where Jerrie was packing his things. Before she could push it open, however, something grabbed a hold of her arm and yanked her backwards, nearly pulling the arm out of its socket.

"You think I'm going to just let you go?! Just because Macavity is weak, and Zazor is a pathetic failure, you think that I will let you go?!"

Rumpleteazer whimpered, terrified, and tried to pull away. She could see the enormous black Tom that was holding her, his fangs glinting as he seethed.

"You BELONG to me! And you will never get away from me! I thought you understood that…I thought I wouldn't have to possess your soul any longer…But you can never trust a Queen, I suppose!"

Suddenly, the door behind them swung open, and a disgruntled Mungojerrie tromped out. The second the door had clicked open, however, Dymian had disappeared, and only Teazer knew where he must have gone…She could feel it.

"Let's get out of here, Teaz…"

The siblings quickly left the warehouse that had been their home for three years and started down the road that led towards Human territory.

"Where are we gonna go?"

"Dunno."

"Should we try to find a Human home to stay at?"

"Dunno."

"Should we go back to the Junkyard?"

"Dunno."

"Well, dammit, make up your mind!"

"Just be quiet, Jer…"

Mungojerrie frowned at Rumpleteazer, who was still staring sullenly ahead, her face set in stone. What had happened to his perky sister, his obnoxious other half? She wasn't being herself…and, to be honest, she hadn't been herself for three long years- except when they went out thieving. When they were out thieving in the Human's world, she was sweet, she was funny….she was his sister. But, as soon as they would return to the lair, she would cower at every footstep, and scream whenever anyone but Jerrie came near her. Often enough, she would shut herself away in some secluded room and refuse to talk to a soul, leaving poor Mungojerrie to mingle with the Henchcats, and mourn the loss of his lovely Jemima alone. Sometimes, when he would pass by her room, he would hear the strangest things- Teazer crying, and a voice…a Tom's voice. But when he burst through the door, convinced that one of the Henchcats was trying to have his way with the poor little Queen, he would invariably find only Rumpleteazer sitting on the ground, staring blankly into space, as though something had been there just a moment before.

And that wasn't the only thing that had pulled them apart. They hadn't been allowed to sleep in the same room while in Macavity's lair, as they always had at the Junkyard. It was particularly hard for Mungojerrie, because he depended on the soft voice of a Queen, any Queen, to lull him to sleep.

The only Queens that dwelled in Macavity's lair, however, were his many mistresses, and they were kept firmly separate from the Henchcats. Macavity was weak, certainly, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that many of his minions had been deprived of a Queen for years, perhaps for their entire lives, if he had stolen them away when they were young, and he liked his Queens to be fresh and untouched before he got to them. (Of course, every single one of them had been thrown onto the streets as soon as Bombalurina had come along) So, Rumpleteazer was shunted off to live with the Queens, and Mungojerrie remained with the Henchcats. This was a problem, in his mind, because he knew very well that Macavity didn't tend to learn who was Henchcat and who was a mistress, and he could very easily mistake her. But, luckily for both of them, they were the only two thieves in the warehouse, and he had made it his business to know them very well, and to employ their talents whenever and wherever he could.

Frankly, the twins hadn't seen each other much at all, except for when Macavity had sent them out to thieve together. But now…now they were free! Free of the responsibilities of being a Henchcat! They could go home, back to the Junkyard! And now, perhaps, Rumpleteazer would be herself again. Perhaps she would forget the fear she had obviously felt while in Macavity's lair, and relax…Maybe…


	10. Back Home

**O...M...G . I just realized that I TOTALLY FORGOT to upload this chapter!!! . I am SO SORRY, PLEASE FORGIVE ME! PLEASE?!!?**

"Daddy, come play with us!"

"I'm coming…"

"NOW!"

"Okay!"

Macavity came barreling out of his den, and scooped up little Gracietta in one arms and Malaro in the other, running around the clearing with the two of them in his arms.

"Higher!"

The red Tom smirked at his daughter's cry and, with a quick glance around the area, launched himself into the air. Though he was only a few feet in the air, his children squealed and giggled at the feeling of wind rushing through their fur, until…

"MACAVITY?!"

"Oh shit…"

The Tom winced and lowered himself slowly to the ground, training his eyes on the red Queen that had just entered the clearing. The two kittens pouted and cried their protests as their father set them down on the ground.

"Sorry, love…"

Bombalurina rolled her eyes and shooed the two children out of the clearing. When she was sure that they were well out of earshot, she turned on Macavity with a savage glare.

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT USING MAGIC?! WE DISCUSSED THIS, MAC!"

"No one was around!"

"But what if Munkustrap had seen you?!"

"Then I would have beaten the living shit out of him, wouldn't I?"

Bomba flicked her tail back and forth, worried. "I just don't want you to get into trouble…"

Macavity groaned and flopped onto a stray armchair, stretching out. "This whole thing is madness….I'm not allowed to do magic, I'm not allowed to leave the Junkyard, I can't even talk to someone without Munkustrap stalking me and listening to every word that I say!"

Bombalurina smiled a little, and walked closer to her mate, "You can still talk to me…"

The red Tom grinned and wrapped his arm around the saucy Queen's waist, pulling her onto his lap, "That's true…"

He nibbled softly on Bomba's neck and she purred gently, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You know…There's something that Munkustrap still hasn't outlawed…"

Outside the clearing, Malaro and Graci were leaned against a car door, bored to tears. Graci was flexing her arms and legs, testing out her body. She had, of course, been reborn, but she had had the rare case of being reborn into the exact body that she had come out of. It was all very strange and she didn't understand much of it, but she knew that she was exactly the same as she had been before…Except for the magic. The magic was gone, and for that, she was eternally grateful. She really didn't think she could handle something like that, anyway.

Malaro sighed deeply. He was bored out of his mind.

"What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno…"

"Wanna go play with Fenera?"

"No way! She's so stuck up…she's probably busy flirting with Bill Bailey, anyway…"

"Okay…Wanna go exploring?"

"No…There's nowhere to go anymore."

"Wanna go find Uncle Bonconlo?"

"Alright."

Their Uncle Bonconlo always had the greatest stories to tell; how he had fought off 5 Pollicles single pawed, how he'd escaped from certain death at the hands of an evil Human, and so much more.

Graci leapt up and pulled her brother along with her as they swerved through the piles of trash and junk. In only a few moments, they reached the main clearing where, to their surprise, a large crowd was gathered. Shouts and screams were coming from the center of the mob.

"What's going on?" Malaro whimpered.

"I dunno…"

Graci, still holding her brother's paw, crept through the sea of legs and tails. As they drew closer, they could begin to hear what was going on in the center.

"Let 'er go! Let 'er go! She ain't 'urting anyone!"

"She tried to claw my eyes out!"

"Can you blame 'er? 'e's dead, and you're the ones that done it!"

"No one knows who really killed him!"

"LET ME GO!"

"QUIET!"

The crowd went silent, and the kittens were able to catch a glimpse of Bonconlo holding back an orange, black, and white striped cat as they shifted.

Munkustrap, who had yelled at them, waded his way through the throng, and stared at Bonconlo and another cat (identical to the first) that they had not noticed before. "What happened?"

"These two intruded into the Junkyard. The Queen asked about this Tom named Alonzo, and I told her he had been killed during the war…"

At these words, the Queen emitted an awful moan and slumped further in Bonconlo's arms. He ignored this and continued talking.

"She started screaming, the most horrible screams, telling me that it couldn't be true and that he was the only one who could save her, I dunno…And then she tried to scratch my freaking eyes out!"

"Get Macavity! 'e'll vouch for us, we don't mean any 'arm!"

Munkustrap paused for a moment, staring at the Tom as though there was something very strange about him, "…Alright. But you should be warned, his word doesn't mean much around here."


	11. Forgive Me, I Beg You

**Nice long reviews, please! You owe me! :P**

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"…Mac?"

"Mmm…"

"I think someone's coming…"

"Shut up…"

"No, I mean it…"

Reluctantly, Bombalurina broke away from the arms of her lover, her ears pricked for the sound of approaching pawsteps.

"…Baby, there's no one coming…"

"Sh…"

"Please, come here…"

"Shh!"

Bomba suddenly gasped and nearly flew off of Macavity's lap in her hurry to get away. At that moment, a silver tabby rounded the corner and entered the clearing. His eyes flitted between the blushing Bomba and the nervously shifting Macavity.

"Right, then….There are some cats out in the main clearing that have asked to see you…"

With his eyebrows raised, he left the area quickly. Macavity heaved himself off the chair and, as he left, smacked Bomba on the butt with his tail. She screamed, and chased after him.

"Alright, move out of the way! We've got him here…"

Munkustrap pushed through the crowd, with Macavity and Bombalurina close behind. They reached the middle in a hurry, where Bonconlo was still holding the Queen, and the Tom was still standing by, looking worried and slightly scared.

As the cats came into view to Macavity, he groaned loudly. "Mungojerrie? Rumpleteazer? What are you two doing here?!"

"Mungojerrie?!"

"Rumpleteazer?!"

"The thieving cats?!"

The whispers rippled through the crowd. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer? They were legendary! The greatest thieves ever to prowl the Junkyard!

Mungojerrie bowed his head sheepishly, "Oh…'ello, Master…"

"You don't have to call me that anymore…"

"Oh…Right."

There was silence as Macavity stared as Jerrie, Jerrie stared at Macavity, Munkustrap stared at both of them, and Rumpleteazer stared blankly into space, her eyes cloudy. Finally, Munkus cleared his throat, and Jerrie jumped.

"Oh! Yeah! Um…Macavity?" Jerrie looked uncomfortable using the name, but pressed on anyway, "Do you think we mean any 'arm by coming 'ere?"

Macavity looked taken aback by the question, and quickly shook his head, "Of course not! You've never hurt a fly…Not even when I ordered you to!"

Munkustrap looked very put-out by this answer and bit his lip for a moment before saying, "That's all very well and good, but we will have to seek the council of Old Deuteronomy before we make any decisions."

Mungojerrie groaned and Macavity rolled his eyes as Munkus motioned for him to follow to the leader's den. Macavity was not at all fond of visiting his father, partially because he wasn't the sentimental type to begin with, and partly because he and his father did not get along particularly well. The last time they had spoken, they had argued about who was going to take over the Junkyard when the leader was gone. Macavity had argued that he should be the one chosen, because he was, after all, the first born. Old Deuteronomy, however, said that the role should be given to Munkustrap, for he had displayed the qualities of leadership much better than his brother. As it might be expected, the conversation had ended badly.

"I'm coming, I'm coming…"

The pair left the clearing, and the crowd turned its attention back to Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, who were still standing in the same place. Mungojerrie seemed flustered by the attention, and ducked his head, but Rumpleteazer (who seemed to have gained some of her senses back) shouted, "…'ere, what are you all looking at?! Clear out!"

There were outraged mutters and grumbles, but the mob obligingly dispersed, leaving no one there…Except for a tiny, elegant Queen, standing in front of Mungojerrie. She looked almost ready to cry as she stared at him. He didn't look up and, after a moment, she whispered, "Hello…"

Jerrie's head shot up, and he turned to the tiny Queen. For a moment, he looked puzzled, but he muttered back, "Oh…'ello. Can I 'elp you?"

She shook her head, staring at him, desperate for something, that much he could tell. She looked so agonizingly familiar…She lifted her eyes to his face, and, with a voice so sweet it could melt your soul, she sang,

"_Look with your heart…"_

Mungojerrie stopped dead. His heart pounding, he turned back to the little Queen. Slowly, he sang back,

"And not with your eyes…"

"_The eyes can be fooled!"_

"But the heart is too wise…."

"Jemima!"

Mungojerrie ran forward, catching the Queen in his arms. She was so changed, ever so changed…But he could see now! She was still the beautiful Queen, just….older….And perhaps wiser too. Elation as he had never felt was filling his body and he knew that if he did not let it out, he would surely burst. Quickly, he leaned down and claimed her lips (Soft and wonderful lips!) in a fiery and passionate kiss. He turned his head this way and that, trying to make her feel as he did. But she didn't move, except to whisper, "Oh, Jerrie…"

As he drew back, confused and scared, she stared at him with the saddest and most heartbroken eyes that he had ever seen in his life.

"Oh, Jerrie…We have to talk…"

She tugged on his arm, beckoning him towards where he knew her den lay. He looked over his shoulder to Bonconlo, their captor. He had that strangest look on his face, one of pity and sorrow at the same time. He nodded slowly, and Jemima pulled him along, tripping over trash in her hurry to get to her den. Once there, she pulled him inside.

Jerrie looked around the old and familiar den, remembering everything they had shared here- the music, the laughter, and, perhaps….the love. He noted vaguely that there was another bed in the room now. She must have a roommate, he thought.

She let go of his arm as soon as they entered the den, and walked over to here den, biting her lip. She looked upset, Jerrie mused. Wasn't she happy? Must make her feel better…

"So…Do you still sing?" He asked, trying desperately to break the awkward silence.

"Yes…I'm doing more opera lately. I sang an aria for the last Jellicle Ball…Everyone seemed to adore it."

"That must 'ave been lovely…I wish I could 'ear you sing…"

Mungojerrie stared at her hopefully. Jemimia sighed softly, and whispered, "Perhaps…I have to tell you something…"

"What is it?"

Jemimia pulled herself off of the bed, still not looking at him, and looked down at her fidgeting paws. "Jerrie…When you left, as you know, it was the year before my Aging Ceremony…And…You have to mate with someone, to age…I….Jerrie, I have a mate now…"

Mungojerrie's heart stopped. He stared at her, not believing, not taking in her words. It wasn't true; it couldn't be…Not his Jemima…

Jemima's eyes were filling with tears as she looked at him. She knew very well that she had just broken his heart. With a soft and gorgeous voice that filled the room, she murmured,

"Forgive me, I beg you.  
If you can…  
I've brought you nothing but woe!  
Tomorrow night,  
I'll sing with all my might!  
Sing for you again!"

Mungojerrie closed his eyes, relishing her voice, trying to soak in as much of it as he could. If he didn't love her…So be it…But he would not give up her voice. He couldn't give up her voice…


	12. The Beauty Underneath

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**Sorry for the wait! Enjoy the chapter! ...Heh heh heh....They sing the song The Beauty Underneath in this chapter (DON'T HATE ME!) so I reccomend you listen as you read! ^_^ Rumpleteazer is in italics, Dymian is in normal and they both are in bold. Enjoy, please do! I want nice, long reviews.....Or I won't be updating any time soon. :D

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**

"Hey….Rumpleteazer? Are you awake?"

Teazer slowly opened her eyes, and looked around. She was still standing in the Junkyard, but…What had happened? The last thing she remembered was learning about Alonzo…Alonzo…

"I think you fainted or something…Are you alright now?"

"Yes…I'm fine…"

She groaned softly, and shifted in her captor's arms. He slowly let her stand on her own, and she shook her head, trying to clear it.

"You're Bonconlo…Right?"

"Ya…I remember you, I do…You used to work for Macavity, back in the old days! You and Mungojerrie were his best thieves…"

"We like to think so…"

"You can go find your brother, if you like. Munkustrap and Macavity have been gone for hours, and I'm tired of watching you. You always seemed like a nice one and I'm sure you're not going to do anything wrong…Just promise that you won't get in trouble, alright? I'm on thin ice already with this crowd."

"Alright…"

Bonconlo nodded to her, and started to walk away.

"Wait! I don't want to be left alone!"

But he was already gone. Rumpleteazer stood for a moment, shaking. She was scared to move, to try and find her brother. It was pitch dark outside, and she could feel danger lurking in every corner. But she knew all too well what would happen if she stayed alone…

As though she had spoken aloud, something all too familer began to happen, like a recurring nightmare that she couldn't shake. The air turned deathly cold, her vision grew fuzzy…and something liquid and hot as fire began to seep from her skin, leaving her fur dry, miraculously, and pooling upon the floor of the Junkyard.

"Oh…"

She moaned softly, freezing and burning at the same time. The black liquid began to move on the floor, moving together, twisting and turning until…

"Hush, my love…I'm free again…"

Her vision cleared, the liquid stopped seeping, the night air became warm again. The black Tom that had haunted her and possessed her for three long years stood in front of her in all his glory. Yes, he had possessed her, pushed his spirit into her body, even taken over her mind when it suited his purposes.

"Dymian…"

She tried to step away, but the depossession had left her very weak and she stumbled. Dymian lunged forward, and caught her in his strong arms, cradling her bridle style.

"No…Let me go…"

But one look at those powerful blue eyes, and she was long gone, lost in his will and his beauty, completely hypnotized by his aura.

"Sh…You're tired…You need to sleep…"

"Oh…What happened to me? All I remember is Alonzo, then-"

"I took you over, love…" Dymain cooed down at her, stroking her cheek, "I was almost able to hurt that evil Tom for you, my dear…"

"No…Don't hurt him, he's my friend…"

Dymian put a claw over her lips, murmuring softly, "Hush…I will take care of all these evil Toms for you…All the thorns of the Junkyard shall be cut…Anything to make you love me…"

He shifted her weight slightly in his arms, and carried her silently towards the den she used to live in, which was still unoccupied, for some reason. Inside, to Rumpleteazer's delight, it looked exactly the same as it had three years ago. The beds, the blankets, even the treasure trove- it was all there, in all its glory.

"Oh…It's perfect…"

Dymian smiled down at the Queen in his arms, "I was able to ensure that your den would remain unoccupied…The Jellicles are awfully susceptible to mind control…It will make them so much easier to rule over them, when we take over together…"

Teazer smiled lazily, nodding slowly, not really hearing the words, just focusing on the voice that spoke them. "Sing for me…Please…"

The Tom smiled and laid her down in her bed, covering her with a sheet and started to sing, not really a song, persay…Just notes, strung together, parading around the room in a beautiful melody….Beautiful… After a moment, Teazer joined in, singing to the melody that he had created for her.

"_I think it's beautiful…_

_So very beautiful…_

_Beautiful, beautiful song…_

_Beautiful, beautiful notes._

_Don't you agree?"_

Dymian grinned, his teeth sparkling and thought for a moment, still singing, but softer now, wondering if she was ready to know his plans for her…His plans for their world together…But, looking down at her, so beautiful and exotic…He couldn't deny her anything, he wanted to give her everything! He stood up slowly, changing quickly from his smooth ballad to a quicker pace, singing words now, and it almost seemed as though there was music playing alongside him.

"Have you ever yearned to go  
Past the world you think you know?  
Been enthralled to the call of the beauty underneath?

Have you let it draw you in  
Past the place where dreams begin  
Felt the full breathless pull of the beauty underneath?"

Rumpleteazer stared at Dymian, completely bemused by this switch in song. Wasn't he supposed to be singing her to sleep? Nevertheless, she couldn't resist his voice, and she didn't even notice that the power in his eyes had dimmed; he wasn't trying to make her listen and love him anymore.

"When the night unfolds its wings!  
Do you sense the strangest things?  
Things no one would ever guess  
Things mere words cannot express?"

As he ended the verse, there was a brief moment of silence as Teazer went over what he had said. Strange things in the night…Yes, she sensed them. Been tempted to search for more than the beauty that the Jellicles professed…Yes, she had...And she had let that temptation draw her in, with Dymian…And she had wanted to get away from the Jellicle world! And she had….And, come to think of it, the years of being a Henchcat had been some of the best of her life…

"Yes…" She found herself whispering.

Dymian smiled, and it was quite a dark smile indeed.

"Do you find yourself beguiled  
By the dangerous and wild  
Do you feed on the need for the beauty underneath?

Have you felt your senses served  
And surrendered to the urge?  
And been hooked as you looked at the beauty underneath?"

Rumpleteazer stood up, staring at Dymian as though she had never seen him before. He really was something to behold…So smart…And he knew everything about her! Everything that had ever run through her mind, he knew about. He knew her darkest fantasies…And her fears….

"When you stare behind the night  
Can you glimpse its primal might?  
Might you hunger to possess  
Hunger that you can't repress!"

Teazer crept closer to him, timid, yet very excited, crying, "Yes!"

Dymian grabbed her wrist tightly, without warning, and pulled her towards her treasure trove, almost too roughly, and, to her horror, started to barrel towards a large mirror that stood on the opposite side. She screamed, and tried to pull away, but too late. He crashed through….But there was no shattering of glass, no blood! Teazer opened her eyes- and it was like she had stepped into a different world.

It was by no means a magical place, where they had gone, but to her, it certainly seemed like one. It was a large, dungeon like room, filled with books and candles, and strange, magical things that glowed, whirled, spun, and sparked.

Rumpleteazer slowly let go of Dymian's paw, singing gently to herself,

"_It seems so beautiful…  
So strange yet beautiful….  
Everything's just as you say!"_

Dymian watched her as she looked around the room, not daring to touch a thing, afraid to ruin what she perceived as a brilliant illusion, conjured by this magical master behind her. He whispered softly, in half a song he knew she would not hear,

"And she's so beautiful…  
Perhaps too beautiful….  
What I desire cannot be!  
And yet, I know, we both see…  
The very same way!"

Rumpleteazer quickly turned around, a new idea dawning. Maybe his ideas were the same as hers! Maybe that was why he always knew what she wanted, what she needed from him, from everyone! She sang, growing more excited with each passing phrase,

"_Are the thoughts in your head?  
Have you followed where they led?  
And been graced with a taste of the beauty underneath!_

_Do they fill your every sense?_  
_Is it terribly intense?_  
_Tell me you need it too!_  
_Need the beauty underneath!"_

Dymian grabbed her around the waist, nodding his answer and pulled her with him, leading her around his home, showing her the fantastic magic he had created- Balls of light that never went dim, a pool of water that you couldn't touch, and a small music box that could play anything that you wanted it to, just by telling it so. As he pulled her, they sang together,

**"When it lifts its voice and sings!**  
**Don't you feel amazing things?!**  
**Things you know you can't confess…**  
**Things you thirst for nonetheless…"**

Dymian let her go, and ran to the top of a pile of books, high above her, singing furiously to her as he started to conduct pillars of light throughout the room, in tune to their song, expressing what he could not.

"You can feel it?"

"_Yes!"_

"Come closer!"

"_Yes…"_

"You've no fear of the beauty underneath…."

Struck by the immense emotion this song was bringing, along with the realization that they both thought the same way, Teazer broke into a small range of notes, singing as she had never sung before.

"_Ahhhh…."_

"You can face it!"

"_Yes!"_

"You can take it!"

"_Yes!"_

"You see through to my beauty underneath!"

"_The beauty underneath…"_

"To the splendor!"

"_To the splendor…"_

"And the glory!"

"_And the glory…"_

"To the truth of the beauty underneath!"

"_The beauty underneath!"  
_

Both were practically screaming now, and Rumpleteazer was trying desperately to clamber closer to him, climbing over piles of books to get to him.

"You'll accept it!"

"_Yes!"_

"You'll embrace it!"

"_YES!"_

"Let me show you the beauty under-"

But he was never able to finish the phrase. As he was singing his heart out, letting his emotions fly higher than they ever had, he lost control. Bolts of lightning started to fly from his, bouncing off the walls, coming closer to Teazer. As he hit the second to last note, an enormous lightning both flew from his chest, straight at Rumpleteazer….

"AHHHH!!!!!!"


	13. Gone

**Dear readers, I beg your pardon for the shortness of this chapter, but I think you'll be satisfied with what happens in it :) I can't update over the weekend, as you may have guessed by now, but I'll be back on Monday, don't fear! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use the assitence of your nearest Phantom of the Opera soundtrack for this one ^_^ At the very end of the last track, I believe. It's not much, but dammit, it's POWERFUL!!!!!! Have fun reading what little there is! And, yet again, if the Phantom stuff is starting to bug you, GO NOW! GO NOW AND LEAVE ME!!!!! :P PHANS UNITE!**

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Rumpleteazer's body fell to the ground with a thump, blue electricity still coursing across her figure as she twitched, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Dymian stood stock still, horrified by what he had done- and then he leapt down from his perch, sprinting towards his love, "NO!!!!"

He grabbed her, not paying any attention as the voltage from her body zapped into his, shaking his bones with the power of what, just a moment ago, had been euphoria in his mind. "Please….No…Please, Teazer…"

Tears started to run down his face as he grabbed her little wrist, feeling desperately for a pulse, for something! But….there was nothing, nothing at all. No blood ran through her veins, and as he held her, she grew limp. "No…..NO!!!"

He screamed, dropping Teazer's limp body on the ground, curling his paws into fists, screaming as loud as he could, though no one would ever hear his pain. He stood up, and started to run, not caring what he was doing, knocking everything off of his tables, knocking magical instruments to the floor, ripping up papers, and shredding books, destroying everything that was his home. He was gone….SHE WAS GONE, DAMMIT! AND IT WAS HIS FAULT!!! He had killed her….His love had killed her, destroyed her life and body.

He dropped into a chair near Teazer's broken body. He couldn't look at her, it hurt too much. He picked up her body in his arms, cradling her, his eyes closed in resignation. Slowly, he sang to himself, feeling his broken heart failing on him,

"You alone could make my song take flight…

It's over now!

The music of the night!!!"

Again, he left his emotions fly away with him, not seeing any point in keeping them hidden now. There was no one to hurt anymore. And, again, his power flew out of his body and into hers. But this time, it wasn't the power of unbridled passion and lust. It was a power of love and remorse, the kind that could kill a person….Or bring one back to life…

"Dymian…."

Dymian raised his head, shaking with sobs, his eyes red with tears. Rumpleteazer stirred slightly, her eyes opening. Though they were bloodshot, and weak, she managed to look up at him, and whisper, "Dymian….What happened…Ow…"

He stared at her, hardly daring to believe this, this amazing stroke of fate. His love was awake…She was alive! And now, he would protect her, he swore to himself…He would mold the world to protect her, to love her as he did!


	14. Mourning

**Hey, everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter....MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! :P Okay, I have a boo-boo to admit. I TOTALLY forgot to upload one of my chapters, so Chapter 10- Back Home is a new one. It had some rather crucial information in it, so I would check it out ;) REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Dymian quickly took Rumpleteazer back to her den, after she had fully recovered (with the help of his magic) and put her to bed. He told her that he would speak to her in the morning, not to leave her den until he came for her, and everything would be alright. Everything would make much more sense than it did at that moment, because he hadn't told Teazer anything about the night's events. All she herself remembered was singing with Dymian, aching for his love and affection, but believing he thought of her like a daughter, someone he had to take care of. Then, pain, excruciating pain, pain that filled her entire body and drowned out her senses. And then, she had woken in Dymian's arms, aching with the soreness of her being, but safe, at least.

As soon as she was back in her den, Teazer promptly fell asleep, and didn't think of anything at all until morning.

* * *

"Murder! There's been a murder!"

"Oh Heaviside!"

"NO!!!"

Rumpleteazer woke the next evening to screams. Screams that only came when a part of you had been ripped out, when your soul had been carved to pieces. She leapt out of bed, and was about to run out of the den when she remembered what she had said to Dymian. He was going to come for her, and she wasn't supposed to leave…But, surely, he would understand her leaving, in a situation like this! Someone had obviously been killed, and she had to find out who it had been! Biting her lip, she sprinted from her home, paying the full-length mirror near the wall only a passing glance as she flew by.

She was greeted with a sight that she believed could only be seen in a nightmare. The body of an old, and large cat was sprawled on the ground, having been carried there by Macavity and Munkustrap, who were now standing at its head. Other cats, close to the entire Junkyard, were standing at the cat's side, staring in disbelief at the crumbled body of Old Deuteronomy.

"He wasn't…murdered…" Munkustrap managed to choke out, obviously having a hard time speaking- and who could blame him? "Macavity and I were….We were there, and we left for just a moment, to come back and tell you his verdict on the two rogue cats, and…We heard these horrible noises, like he was choking, and we came back…He was dead…There wasn't any time for an assassin to get in and out without being seen… "

Macavity closed his eyes against the words, and hung his head, "I could have saved him…"

"No, you couldn't have, Mac…" Bombalurina, who was nearby, whispered solemnly, "It…It was his time…"

There was silence as the Junkyard quietly mourned the loss of its greatest, its most noble leader. Queen's sobbed into the shoulders of their Toms, and the Toms stood with a stiff upper lip, determined to stay strong for the sake of their Queen's. The kittens stared in wonder at the body. Some of them were recent additions to the Junkyard and had never even seen its great leader until that moment…Until he was gone.

"Who's going to lead us now…?" Whispered Jennyanydots, after the respectful silence seemed over.

Munkustrap shook his head, "I don't know…He never officially chose me…It would be wrong to take a place that I might not be destined for…"

The Junkyard was silent again, as everyone contemplated these wise words. Then, a low moan sounded from the outskirts of the group. Those who turned around saw a large, black Tom with eyes as blue as the night itself standing there, looking completely disarmed. He rushed forward, towards the body of the old leader, and whispered, "No…I never got to say goodbye!"

Rumpleteazer, who had been watching all of these with shock and amazement, was about to shout out a warning of this Tom of who had come to spoil their mourning when Dymian, perhaps only by accident, turned his eyes on her. They were all powerful, hypnotizing…Why in the world did she want to scream? This Tom was so kind, he had protected her for two long years, kept her safe from the world…He might even been a good leader for the Jellicles!

Their job done, Dymian's eyes turned back to the despised body on the floor. His hate was so great that he could barely speak the words that he knew he had to…for her….

"My father…You left me! You left us!"

Munkustrap seemed to notice this Tom for the first time as he spoke again, and stared with disdain and confusion as he watched the body. Then he cried out in protest as the Tom hurled himself onto the body, forced tears falling from his eyes, "GET OFF OF HIM!!"

Munkus lunged forward, trying to wrestle Dymian away from this prized body, the body of his father.

"NO!" Screamed Dymian, fighting back with equal strength, "HAVEN'T YOU GOT ANY IDEA WHO I AM?!?!"

"You're an outcast, of course!" Munkus cried as he pushed the Tom away from the body and pinned him to the floor, staring at his face, "And a former Henchcat too, by the looks of those scars!"

"I, an outcast? A Henchcat?! You fool! I am your older brother! Don't you remember, little Munkus? I left long ago, when the Junkyard was devoid of food and water, to try and find some sort of help for us! These scars are the price I've had to pay to come home at last!" Dymian spat, his lips tainted with lies.

"No…You lie! I…"

But Munkus fell silent as he looked into Dymian's deep blue eyes…They were like pools of water, and they calmed him, made him feel safe…They enforced his thousand lies, pushed them into his head and made him know them as the truth.

"Yes….I remember you…My older brother…Father always said that you were meant to led us when he passed away…"

"This is madness!" Macavity yelled, staring angrily from his brother to Dymian, frustrated beyond belief. The horrors that had happened already were bad enough, but this…this intruder was more than he could bear! He was so close to slipping into his rage, to tearing this imposter limb from limb for daring to sully the body of his father. "None of this is true!"

"Macavity…My long lost brother…" Dymian whispered from his position on the floor, his voice choked with false emotion.

Munkustrap slowly got off of the black Tom, and Dymian stood up, his arms outstretched to Macavity. He began to walk towards him, his eyes burning with ice cold power. Macavity stared determinedly back, his eyes on fire with his fury. So this was what this Tom was doing…But he could beat him, he knew that much. He had been practicing the art of visual hypnotism for years, though he rarely employed it. It was never quite as enjoyable as tearing his enemies apart.

The two Toms stared at each other, equally matched; fighting a battle that no one else could see or understand. Finally, after a moment, Dymian whispered, with a voice that dripped with spellbinding charm, "I have missed you, my dear little brother…"

That broke Macavity's will in a flash. He stumbled, as though he had been punched in the stomach. Anyone that had cared enough to look at his eyes would have noticed that they were empty, devoid of his normal passion and vigor. "Oh….Yes…And I have missed you…"

Dymian nodded, please, and turned to the rest of the crowd, who were immediately caught under his spell. "I hope you will forgive my forwardness, but…" He gave a low bow, smiling cordially at the Jellicles, "My name is Dymian. I was the first born of Old Deuteronomy, and, therefore, was chosen to go on an expedition to find food for our clan…I was successful, but wasn't able to return. I was caught by a band of evil Humans, who took me away and tried to kill me, many times. I was able to escape, after years of captivity, and found my way back here…But the tragedy I found here…"

Dymian hung his head, apparently overcome by emotion, "My father was a great Tom…And I do hope that you will forgive me for saying so, but I do believe, under the circumstances…I should assume the position of leader."

There was a round of applause as every Jellicle stared at this savoir, this knight in shining armor who had come to bring them out of the darkness. Dymian gave a winning smile, "Thank you very much…But, of course, I am not even half the Tom that my father was…I will need a Queen by my side, to help with my judgment. She will have to be clever, beautiful, courageous…In other words, just like me."

The crowd gave a few appreciative giggles as Dymian waved them off, "I jest, of course….But she must not be afraid of the challenges that might be set for her…."

All the Queens in the Junkyard, even those that were already taken, quickly hurried to the front. Etcetera pushed her way through, staring with glistening eyes at the Tom. She seemed to have found her new Rum Tum Tugger. Even Bombalurina came through, before Macavity hastily pulled her back to his side. Dymian looked around, pretending to be contemplating his all too eager choices. He spoke to a few, asking their past, what they planned to do if they became his Queen, (Etcetera only managed a small squeak when he spoke to her) and their talents. Finally, he turned around to face the one Queen who hadn't come forward, the only one that he could ever be interested in. He felt his cold heart start to beat faster as he raised a claw to point at her, "Rumpleteazer…"

She smiled with pride, and nearly floated over to him, her mind cloudy with love. Upon arriving next to him, she bowed her head, and held out a paw for his touch. He granted her that and more, kissing her paw gently as he whispered, "Together, we shall be perfect…."


	15. Perfectly Insane

Old Deuteronomy's body was quickly taken care of by Dymian, and though he allowed no one to come to the funeral, or see where he had been buried, no one was really too upset. Everyone was overjoyed with their new leader, and all thoughts of the old leader had been pushed out of their heads. Even Macavity was appreciative of this new leader, though he didn't much like to show it. Everyone was under his trance…Everyone except for Rumpleteazer. She had been under this Tom's control for two long years and she was starting to become immune to the effects of his eyes. She drifted in and out of consciousness, sometimes aware of the horror befalling the Junkyard, and sometimes aware of only wonderful things, such as Dymian…And, she found, she loved him, whether she was under his spell or not. But she was horrified by what he was daring to do to the Junkyard….And what she strongly suspected he had already done.

A celebration had been planned for that night, to mark the mating of the leader and his Queen. The matings of Jellicle leaders were not like other matings. They were special, something to celebrate. It was not unlike a Human wedding, for those few of the Jellicles that had seen one. Several of the cats would be singing, topped off with a performance by the best singer in the Junkyard- Jemimia, singing an aria of her own composition. It was going to be a perfect night….Perfectly insane, Rumpleteazer thought…

* * *

"Oh, Teazer…You look so lovely…" Jemimia sighed as she put the finishing touches on the Queen's fur.

It was tradition that the female who was mating would have her fur done her closest sister but, seeing as Teazer had no sister to speak of, Jemimia had volunteered.

"Thank you…" She whispered, looking down at her reflection in a tiny mirror that had been found on one of her thieving trips, long ago.

She did look nice- she couldn't deny that. But she didn't want this…She didn't want any of this! It was all wrong, all so very, very wrong. Dymian was evil, pure evil! And she loved him…..But she couldn't be his Queen! But there was no one left to save her now. No one believed that she needed saving.

Rumpleteazer was pulled from her thoughts as Jemimia gave a tiny squeak. Mungojerrie was standing in the entrance of the den, with something clutched tightly in his right paw. He swallowed hard as Jemimia jumped up and scurried out of the den, her eyes growing red, "I have to go!"

Teazer frowned, reaching up to brush down the piece of fur that Jemimia had abandoned. She looked up at her brother. He hadn't told her what had happened (he wasn't the kind who liked to share his emotions with many) but it really wasn't too hard to guess. She had seen Jemimia with Pouncival, so very much in love….And she knew how Jerrie felt. She always had. "I'm sorry, Jer…I really am…"

"It's…Nevermind…I don't want to talk about it…I brought you something."

He came closer to her, and held out an open paw. On his palm was a long, beautiful string of…

"PEARLS!"

Teazer jumped forward, all sinister thoughts forgotten in this one gift that meant more than Jerrie could possibly know. Mungojerrie laughed and held her back with his other paw, "Hold on! Lemme put 'em on you…"

She sat down eagerly and he stood behind her, fingering the pearls lightly. He slipped them around his sister's neck, and fastened them tightly. Rumpleteazer smiled and stood back up, holding her arms out for a hug. "Thank you so much, Jer…"

They embraced quickly (not being the touchy feely sorts) and he kissed the top of her head. "You'll be wonderful tonight…'ere, I've got something else for you."

From behind his back, he produced another gift. It was a tiny heart shaped tag, and onto it were painfully etched the words,

To the best Queen (and thief!)

I've ever known!

Love Jerrie

"Ooo…" Teazer smiled and plucked the tag out of her brother's paw.

She clipped it onto the string of pearls and kissed her brother's cheek. "Thank you so much, Jerrie!"

Jerrie blushed and gave his sister a little shove, "Oh, shut up! Right…I have to go get ready…Don't be late, you silly thing!"

He left, and Rumpleteazer was left alone, fingering his presents.


	16. Before the Ceremony

**Hey, everyone! Next chapter is up! Alright, so I'm focusing on the two main storylines now, the Jemimia and Jerrie storyline,and the Teazer and Dymian storyline. They will come together soon, I promise. Actually, I probably only have about five more chapters until finished! GASP! :P **

**Guess what's in this chapter! Guess! ...How did you know they were gonna sing?! :P Using music from Before the Performance, from Love Never Dies (Listen if you dare :P)**

* * *

"Ahh!"

Jemimia hit another high note, trying to warm up her voice for this performance, which was sure to be her crowning jewel. It required vocal power that she had never tried to use before, and she was nervous. No one had ever heard this song, or any song that she had written on her own. It had all been Mungojerrie's music…Though no one had known that at the time.

As she frowned and cleared her throat, preparing for another go, she heard a small cough behind her. She turned to see Pouncival, her mate, standing in the doorway, a paper flower held in his paw. He smiled and stepped forward, tucking the flower into her fur, "You look so beautiful, love…"

"Thank you so much, Pounce…"

She stared at him for a moment, lost in thought. The return of Mungojerrie had thrown her into utter confusion. Before then, she could have said, without a doubt in her mind that she loved Pouncival and always would. He was her soul mate and her love. But….He wasn't the same little Tom she had fallen in love with. He was always carousing about, turning flips to impress the other Queens, and she knew for a fact that that wasn't all that he did. But he was so lovely to her, so adoring…Except when she sang. Heaviside forbid she should sing in front of him. He hated the sound of her voice, hated to hear her talk of music, hated anything to do with those notes that she cherished so dearly! He had no objection to anyone else's voice, just hers…He said that it reminded him of someone he had once known, though he wouldn't say who. He wouldn't allow her to sing, normally, except for once at the Jellicle Ball each year. It had been a struggle to get him to agree to let her do this. He wouldn't be here to see the performance, she knew that. Most likely he would be off with Electra, or perhaps Sillabub. He liked the younger kittens…

"…Darling?"

"Oh!" Jemimia snapped out of her thoughts, and blushed. "Sorry…I was only thinking…"

"Mmm…" Pouncival bit his lip, running his claws through his mate's fur, "Jemimia…I don't like this…I really don't."

"Pounce, I know you don't like my voice, but-"

"No, it's not that…This Tom, this Dymian Tom! Coming here and assuming the position of leader, and making you sing for him…"

"He didn't make me! And besides…Rumpleteazer used to speak of him…Before she left, you know…She said that he was a good Tom, and wouldn't hurt anyone."

"And how can we trust her?! She was a Henchcat!!"

"Pouncival!"

"And that brother of hers…Have you seen the way he looks at you?!"

"Stop it!"

"I bet he wants you, wants me out of the way, wants to-"

"DON'T SAY THAT!"

Pouncival stopped dead, staring at his little Queen, who was always so nice and sweet. What had happened to her? She had always been the sweetheart of the Junkyard, before he came. She had been lovely to him, loving and caring…So docile…And how had he repaid her?

"_Since our mating day,_

_Things have gone astray_

_I'm not proud of the way that I've acted…"_

Jemimia sighed softly. Of course, every word that he spoke was true…But she didn't like to think of it. She whispered, "Pouncival…We've both been-"

"_The demands I've made,_

_All the hopes, mislaid._

_I'm aware of the price they've exacted…"_

He looked at her face, once so beautiful and full of life. She was paler now, from trying to keep up with him, from not doing what she desired to do so much- sing.

"_Though I've no right to ask you to,_

_There's one more thing I'd have you do_

_If you love me…_

_As I love you…"_

Jemimia smiled, and stepped close to him once more, holding one of his paws in hers as he looked down at her, concerned, "Anything at all, love…"

"_Don't sing the song, dear!"_

Jemimia dropped his paw, stepping away, "What?! But, Pounce-"

"_You have to know something's terribly wrong, dear!"_

"But…I have to do this! It's what I agreed to do!"

"Please, Jemimia…This Tom is insane! I can tell!"

"How could you possibly-"

"And Mungojerrie….I can tell, Jemimia! Don't you dare insult my intelligence; I know what's been going on!"

Jemimia stared at him, her heart skipping a beat or perhaps somewhere nearer to a thousand beats, "What?"

"_That hell spawn demon!"_

"Pouncival!"

"_He's had you playing his game for so long, dear!"_

"Let me just get through this! Please…." She stared at him, desperate, "He needs it….And I do too."

Pouncival's shoulder's sagged. It was as though a ten pound weight had been dropped on his shoulders.

"_You need so much, it's true…_

_And I've denied you…_

_You need the music you knew…_

_Back here, inside you._

_You'll have it back, I vow!_

_Just ask it of me!_

_But we must leave here now!_

_If you still love me…"_

"…Leave?"

"Yes…This place is going to hell, Jem! Without Old Deuteronomy, it's going to fall apart! And that Tom…And Mungojerrie…Please, Jemimia….Please!"

"I…Pounce, we can't!"

"I have to leave here, Jemimia, I can't stand seeing this! Please, come with me!"

"_Leave this place behind…."_

"Pouncival…I can't."

He stared at her, tears starting to fall from his eyes. He turned from her, and started out. Just before he left, he whispered, "I'll be waiting just outside the Junkyard…I beg you, don't sing…Come with me…I'm leaving as soon as I hear the first notes play…"

And he was gone.

Jemimia fell to her knees on the den floor, numb. He was gone…Her love was gone! But perhaps…Perhaps not. Maybe he would come to his senses, when he heard her voice…And maybe he would think the song was for him…She needed him, it was true. She would go after him, she had to! She couldn't stay here, alone, without him. He was her mate, for Heaviside's sake!

Though she didn't know it, just outside the den, a shadowy figure had been listening to the whole conversation, and he sang softly, with a voice that could break your heart, one that no one but her could hear,

"**In moments, mere moments, drums will roll…**

**There you'll stand, just like before!**

**The crowd will hush…**

**Then in one sweet rush…**

**I will hear you sing once more!"**

Jemimia looked up from her despair, and her mouth opened. It was Mungojerrie, singing those words to her….And she knew she couldn't resist the call of those notes that she wanted so badly to hear. She stayed silent, listening to him.

**And music, our music,**

**Will swell and then unwind!**

**Like two strands of melody at last entwined! **

**Fulfill us, **

**Complete us, **

**Make us full!**

**Seal our bond forever more! **

**Tonight, for me, embrace your destiny!**

**Let me hear you sing once more!"**

The pain and the longing in that final note were such that Jemimia couldn't resist a small moan, as she rose to her feet. Slowly, Mungojerrie spoke again, hidden from her sight, his voice filled with hope and desperation.

"Please, Jemimia…You don't need him…Stay with me…We can sing, together! I'll be waiting for you…"

Though she had never seen him there in the first place, Jemimia could tell that he had left after those words. Softly, she sang to herself, biting her claws (Something she had never done before),

"Twisted every way, what answer can I give?"

She took a deep shuddering breath, and started out of the den, walking on unsure paws. She had made her choice. She was going to sing. But…As she took her first step, something fell from her fur and into a puddle on the ground just outside the den. Pouncival's flower…She bent and scooped the wet thing up, whispering with a tearful note,

"I know I can't refuse…

And yet, I wish I could…

Oh God…"

She held the flower close to her heart, burying her face in her paws. What was she going to do…

"…Jemimia? It's time for your performance…"


	17. Love Never Dies

**Yes, more music! MWAHAHAHA!!!! Songs are Love Never Dies, Why Does She Love Me, and a bit of Ah Christine. I reccomend you listen as you read, unless you're like me, and already have all the songs so stuck in your head that you can reel them off at any given moment xD Please enjoy! And do let me know what you think is going to happen next- I'm eager to know if what I think is going to be a twist really will be ;)**

* * *

Rumpleteazer hurried into the Junkyard clearing, cursing herself quietly under her breath. She was going to be late and she knew it. She could only hope that she would be there in time to hear Jemimia sing. Technically, she didn't have to be there until the official ceremony, and it was this thought that she clung to as she stepped into the clearing.

It was beautiful, gorgeous…Unexplainable. Floating balls of light were scattered throughout the area, conjured by Macavity (recently allowed to use magic again) and Mr. Mistoffelees (who was now being taught by the former to hone his magical skills). A small stage had been set up in the middle, covered by a long length of fabric. That was where the performers would be working…And where Dymian and Teazer would soon be saying their vows. The entire Junkyard seemed to have turned up for the occasion, as well they should have. It was, of course, a momentous event. Every cat was sitting before the stage, talking quietly and excitedly. From what Teazer could gather from their words as she passed among them, Bombalurina had already come through with a rousing performance of Bring on the Men, Gracietta and Macavity had sang a lovely number they called the Phantom of the Opera (which consisted of Graci singing a high note that no one thought she would ever be able to hit), and Mistoffelees and Plato had sang a number called Bittersweet, while Victoria had danced between them. Now, all that was left was Jemima, singing a song she called Love Never Dies.

Rumpleteazer hurried over to where Macavity was sitting with Bombalurina, as Dymian seemed to be nowhere in sight. Macavity looked very disgruntled, because Bomba had apparently made him pull his shoulder length scruffy fur into a ponytail at the base of his neck. To make matters worse, she had also fastened a small, black collar around his neck, with a small tag that, thankfully, said nothing. Bombalurina was immaculate, as gorgeous and (Teazer couldn't help but notice) curvy as she had ever been. Their three kittens sat next to them, bickering about which number had been the best one. Bombalurina waved at Teazer and patted a spot next to her. "Sit here, darling!"

"Thank you, Bomba…"

She sat down, plucking nervously at her pearls. Bomba leaned over and whispered, "Jemima should be on in only a few moments, Munkustrap just went to get her. Dymian hasn't come here yet, but I think he probably just wants to make a big entrance. "

Rumpleteazer nodded, looking around, "Have you seen Jerrie?"

"No…I'm sorry, I haven't. Wasn't he with you? You two always seem to be together."

"No…He said he had to do something…There he is!"

Mungojerrie was making his way through the crowd towards Teazer, his eyes bright with triumph. He sat next to his sister, but didn't say a word. He simply stared at the stage. Rumpleteazer accepted this (She really didn't feel like talking- she actually felt as though she might be sick sometime in the very near future) and listened to Macavity and Bombalurina argue about the former's fur, which he was trying to pull out of its holder.

Munkustrap literally dragged Jemima from her den (she refused to move) and towards the clearing, trying to console her.

"It's just preshow jitters! You'll feel much better once you get started!"

"Please, I changed my mind! I don't want to sing! Please!"

"Jemima, calm down…"

Munkustrap turned the little Queen around to face him, surveying her. Something was wrong, he could tell. She was shaking like mad, and her eyes kept darting around, looking for something, though he had no idea what that might be, "Please don't make me sing, Munkus…I'm begging you…"

"You have to…I'm sorry, but it's not in my paws!"

He pulled her gently along again, through a pipe that led to the stage. He signaled her to wait, and motioned to Mr. Mistoffelees, who was standing by the stage. He nodded, and the lights immediately dimmed, making his sparkly vest and bow look all the better in the moonlight.

He scrambled onto the stage, and turned to face the audience, who were jabbering all the more excitedly now.

"Ladies and gentletoms!" He boomed, accentuating the words with a crackle of sparks from his paws, "We are very proud to present to you, singing an aria of her own invention, the Belle of the Junkyard…Jemima!"

He spread his arms to point at Jemima, who had just been shoved onto the stage by Munkus. She tried to run back as the opening music sounded, but Misto caught her, soothing her with his words. After a quick pep talk, he pushed gently her back into place. She trembled there, glancing around as the music (conjured by Macavity) swelled and dipped, reaching the moment when she was to sing. The crowd was silent, staring in wonder at this little kitten. Sure, she had sung wonderful things at the Jellicle Ball in the past, but this was a completely different ball game. Would she live up the challenge, they wondered. Was her voice everything that she seemed to think it was? She cleared her throat, and half whispered,

"_Who knows when love begins?  
Who knows what makes it start?  
One day it's simply there,  
Alive inside in your heart.  
It slips into your thoughts,  
It infiltrates your soul,  
It takes you by surprise,  
Then seizes full control."_

Jemima looked down off of the stage, and caught Rumpleteazer's eyes. Teazer nodded, encouraging her. Jemima took another step forward, and sang, louder now,

"_Try to deny it,  
And try to protest,  
But love won't let you go,  
Once you've been possessed…"_

There was silence was a moment, the moment before she was to sing the chorus. In that moment, she looked off into the horizon, not wanting to catch the eye of any cat again, it made her too nervous. She saw, to her surprise, a small figure in the distance, sitting on a pile of junk, listening to her every note. Pouncival! With new found determination, she took another step forward, and sang loudly,

"_Love never dies.  
Love never falters.  
Once it has spoken,  
Love is yours…  
Love never fades!  
Love never alters!  
Hearts may get broken,  
Love endures...  
Hearts may get broken,  
Love endures..."_

Far away, on that remote junk pile, Pouncival was listening to his mate's voice. He closed his eyes, listening to those notes that he truly did treasure. But he could never show her that, not now. She thought that she hated his voice- he doubted that anyone could. No, he adored her voice, adored it to the point where it ached. But he knew deep in his heart that she was much better than him, deserved a more fitting mate, one filled with music and love for the joy that it brings to those who sing and listen. He couldn't give her that, but he did love her…With a sigh, he sang, in the silence between verses of his love's song-

"She yearns for higher things,

things I can't give her  
The rush that music brings,

I can't deliver….  
And even when she sings, and soars above me!  
I try to clip her wings,

How could she love me…?"

He shook his head, and put his face in his paws, sighing deeply. She had made her choice…It would be foolish and pathetic to go crawling back to her now. He sang just once more, before slipping quietly into the night,

"May that angel of music watch over you now…

And give you what I wish I gave you…

Somehow…"

Back on the stage, Jemima was clearing her throat, preparing to sing the second verse. Pouncival was listening…He loved her, she knew it! And he would come back…

"_And soon as you submit,  
Surrender flesh and bone,  
That love takes on a life much bigger than your own.  
It uses you at whim and drives you to despair.  
And forces you to feel more joy than you can bear.  
Love gives you pleasure,  
And love brings you pain!  
And yet, when both are gone,  
Love will still remain.  
Once it has spoken,  
Love is yours"_

She looked down at the audience again, planning to give Rumpleteazer a smile-and her heart turned to ice. Mungojerrie was sitting next to her, staring at her with such an expression of ecstasy and desire, it nearly made her miss her next entrance.

"_Love never dies,  
Love never alters,  
Hearts may get broken,  
__Love endures...  
Hearts may get broken…"_

She sang those lyrics quietly, staring at Jerrie, who closed his eyes, listening with such rapture and attention that she couldn't help but want to give him everything could. She stepped forward again, finding her voice at last, which had been, until this point, slightly repressed by something that she couldn't even give a name to. It wasn't fear, exactly…Not nerves…Lack of passion, perhaps…She sang forward, with every fiber of her being that she could muster, hitting notes she never thought possible by her person.

"_Love never dies!  
Love will continue!  
Love keeps on beating when you're gone!  
Love never dies once it is in you!  
Life may be fleeting,  
Love lives on...  
Life may be fleeting,  
Love lives on…."_

Silence for a moment…And then an explosion of cheers and love from the crowd, shouting her name, struggling through the crowds to reach her, eager to touch even a piece of this song bird's fur.


	18. A New Leader

**Hey, I'm really sorry for my absence! Macavity came after me on Friday for putting his fur into a ponytail ^_^ I'm joking, of course. I've turned Macavity into such a pussycat :P I actually had a really bad migrane that made it really impossible to write a thing. **

**Anyway, these chapters are starting to become lighthearted, in spite of the subject matter because Dymian wants everyone to see it that way. He wants everyone to be calm and to associate him with that calmness. Makes sense, right? Right :P Okay, enjoy the chapter, singing is Ah, Christine, listen as always :P**

* * *

"Jemima! How did you write that song?!"

"Jemima, look here!"

"Jemima!"

Jemima stared out into the crowd, overwhelmed at her reception. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do, and was very grateful when a Tom's voice cried, "Alright, leave her alone!"

She turned to thank her savoir, whom she was quite sure was going to be Pouncival, and was surprised to see Mungojerrie standing next to her, shooing the crowd back to their seats. He turned to her and smiled, offering her his arm. She took it nervously, and he led her back to her den, whispered softly, "The ceremony is going to start in ten minutes, or so…You need a bit of rest before then. I'm sure that singing exhausted you…"

She nodded dumbly, staring at Jerrie in wonder as he led her without question, never thinking for a moment that she might not want him to take her to her den, that perhaps she wanted Pouncival to sweep her away.

In Jerrie's mind, she no longer had a mate. She had sung for him- he had seen it in her eyes. And that made her his. And, in any case…How could that song have meant anything else than that she still loved him?

As they reached her trashcan of a den, and stepped inside, he sang to her softly. She was still bemused by all of this, and that singing had taken its toll on her senses for the moment, and she was in no position to tell him no.

"_Ah, darling!_

_My darling!_

_What a triumph you gave me tonight…_

_My darling…_

_All those dark, lonely years turn to light!_

_Ah, darling…"_

Jemima stared at him, as filled with wonder as he was. She was amazed that everyone had adored her performance so much- and the song…

"The song was beautiful…

So very beautiful…

Every note, every word…

And it felt beautiful,

And I felt beautiful!"

Mungojerrie gave her a half smile and she stepped closer, still shaking from the excitement of singing once again, of having that music sweep over her. In fact, they were both feeling the same thing (Jerrie had always been good at hiding how he felt) and they sang together, as impassioned as they had been years ago…

"**Lost in the music once more!**

**Feeling it rise up and soar!**

**Alive once again!"**

Jemima smiled up at him, daring to step a little closer as she whispered, "I've missed singing your songs…You always composed better than I."

"That's not true! That song was wonderful….You said so yourself…"

"Maybe….I-"

But she stopped, a confused look on her face. Frantically, she turned, looking around the den, growing more and more flustered as she scurried around, not finding what she was looking for. "Jemima, what-"

"Pouncival! He was going to be here! He was meant to be here, with me!" Jemima screamed, still searching in vain, looking in places where any sane cat knows their love could not hide.

Mungojerrie watched her, feeling helpless. He knew, of course, that the boy must have run off. Once any Jellicle says he will do something, it is unlikely that they will change their minds, even in situations with the most dire of consequences. "Jemima…I don't think he's coming…"

The little Queen looked up at him, shaking with the words he said, knowing that they were true. The two stared at each other for a moment before the smaller heaved a huge sob and ran for Jerrie's arms, burying herself in them. He stopped dead. She was hugging him, embracing him, looking to him for comfort! If he turned his head slightly to the side, he could catch her in a kiss….She wouldn't even notice if he kissed her cheek, as deep in despair as she was…And the despair wouldn't last long. She would come out of it, realize that the boy had never been right for her, that it was he that she wanted by her side, now and forever…

But she pulled away before he had a chance to move, apparently just as embarrassed as he was. "I'm sorry…Please…Can we go to the ceremony….Please?"

Mungojerrie nodded and took her paw in his, leading her limp body towards the exit of the den, feeling awful for the thoughts that were running through his head, thoughts of grabbing her, kissing her, taking her as his mate, right there and then…

* * *

"Rumpleteazer! It's time…"

Teazer looked up from her conversation with Bomba about the performance that they had just witnessed to see Munkustrap standing in front of them. His fur had apparently been combed through many times, and he looked incredibly handsome, even though he was several years her senior. He held out his paw to her, smiling. "Everyone's ready…Mungojerrie will be leading you up the aisle, Jemima is your flower girl, Macavity is Dymian's best Tom and I'm going to be conducting the ceremony, if I've got everything right."

She nodded and stood up, accepting his paw of help. He led her to the back of the clearing, where Jemima and Mungojerrie were waiting for her, looking very awkward. Jemima looked as though she had been crying and Jerrie looked as though he didn't quite know what to do with himself. Munkus set Teazer next to her brother, and smiled reassuringly, "I know you're nervous…But this is going to be the happiest day of your life, when you look back on it. I promise that."

He nodded and left the area. Mistoffelees came soon after, and presented Jemima with a basket of beautiful flower petals, with instructions to toss them about as she went down the aisle. To Teazer, it seemed quite rushed, like something that had been thrown together at the very last moment- which, she reminded herself, it had. A mating on this scale hadn't been performed in years, not since Old Deuteronomy had been of mating age.

Rumpleteazer watched from behind the pile of trash that separated them from the rest of the Jellicles as the crowd settled at last and took their seats around the stage. Munkustrap climbed onto the empty stage and smiled happily down at everyone, saying jovially, "We are gathered here today to witness two happy occasions- the appointment of a new leader, and the mating of that leader with a newly reinstated Jellicle."

At those words, Macavity and Dymian appeared, as if by magic, from nowhere in a cloud of smoke and noise. The crowd applauded appreciatively at this show of talent. Macavity had managed to get his hair out of the ponytail holder with Bombalurina noticing, and it was flying free, making the two look very alike, with their The only difference was the color.

Munkustrap gestured to the two to come stand next to him, and he began talking- a long winded speech that sounded as though it came straight from Old Deuteronomy's mouth. It was something that no one really understood, though Macavity and Dymian did a very good job of pretending that it made some sort of sense. It had something to do with the passing of power, about how Dymian had been chosen out of all the brothers to lead the Jellicles in time of happiness, sorrow, hunger, death, blah blah blah… Rumpleteazer was quite sure she was going to doze off when Munkustrap finally finished, laying his paws on Dymian's and shaking them vigorously, congratulating him. Dymian had quite the expression on his face- one of pride, and a little bit of disgust and annoyance, though none of the Jellicles seemed to catch that. Munkustrap nodded and turned to the crowd, who had all bowed their heads. Together, everyone cried, "All hail Dymian!"

Munkustrap smiled and threw up his arms, "Let the mating ceremony begin!"


	19. Once Upon Another Time

**Hello, again! Sorry for the delay, but this chapter was a challenge for me...Music is from "Please Miss Giry, I want to go back...". Please enjoy!**

**Hey, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE join my RPG! All the info is listed, it's post Wicked Love, none of this stuff has happened, and I think it's going to be a whole lot of fun! Go to Fanfiction home page, and add this stuff at the end of the URL**

**forum/Cats_RPG/74315/**

**And, before you ask, THE STORY IS NOT OVER! :D**

* * *

Jemima immediately skittered forward as Munkustrap left the stage, tossing her flowers half-hazardly and looking quite out of it. There were whispers among the crowd as she walked down the aisle, but no one dared to reach out a paw to touch her, or to ask her how she had managed her great triumph, or even, for some of the more nosy cats, why Mungojerrie had taken her away instead of her mate, Pouncival. She only took a moment to reach the end of the stage, where Dymian and Macavity were waiting for her. She curtseyed with a wobbly stance and Dymian smiled, taking up her paw to lay a kiss on it. He then shooed her to the other end of the stage, where she was to wait for the Queen of the hour.

Rumpleteazer gulped loudly as Jemima made herself comfortable. She was next. Mungojerrie gave her arm a little tug, trying to get her to move forward, but Teazer wouldn't budge. She was frozen to the spot, scared to move forward as her mind whirled. She felt sick to her stomach! How could she mate this Tom?! He had killed Old Deuteronomy, supposedly for her sake! How could she live with something like that on her conscience?! But…He was so wonderful; loving to her…How could she deny him this, when he had given her so much? He himself had once said that he would pull down the Jellicle moon for her, if only if would make her happy, if it would make her love him…Love…Did she love him? What a question….One that she couldn't comprehend.

"Jer…Don't make me do this…I can't…I don't love 'im!"

Jerrie tugged on his sister's arm again, wincing as he whispered, "Teazer, I know ya do…Come on…"

With a forced determination, Teazer took a step forward….And promptly found that she could move no more. Her head was pounding, the world was spinning before her eyes….The last thing that she was fully aware of was a large black form coming towards her from the stage, pushing Jerrie's arm off of her…And then it was all gone.

* * *

"Step back; give 'er some air!"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oi! That's my sister!"

"And she's my mate!"

"Not yet, she ain't!"

Rumpleteazer groaned loudly and the two Toms immediately ceased to bicker, both focused on the calico Queen that was slowly inching her way back to life. Dymian leaned closer to her, whispering to her before she had even opened her eyes, "How do you feel, my turtle dove…?"

Teazer opened her eyes and moaned even louder. It was bright, much too bright. Slowly, she blinked her way to clear vision. Surrounding her seemed to be the entire Junkyard. They were all still standing in the aisle, watching her, horrified by this fainting fit. In the front of the crowd were Mungojerrie and Jemima, looking as concerned as everyone else. The latter looked torn, and she hovered like a tiny bird between Jerrie and Rumpleteazer, obviously wanting to be close to both. Supporting Teazer's limp body was Dymian, who looked down at her, concern etched on his black face, "Rumple…Speak to me, darling, please…"

"I…I'm fine…."

"Dear, why did you hesitate?" Dymian sounded almost angry with his soon to be bride as he looked down at her, studying her face, "Don't you love me?"

Teazer stared dumbly up at the black Tom, at a loss for words. She didn't know quite what to say because, honestly, she didn't know how she felt. On the one paw, how could she love a murderer? On the other…How could she not?

Dymian seemed to grow more and more flustered at this lack of response and he grabbed her tighter, crying, "Rumpleteazer! Answer me! Do you love me?!"

Teazer cowered beneath his words, afraid to lie, afraid to tell the truth. The black Tom began to shake her, his face contorted with a different sort of fear, "RUMPLE?! Do you love me?! ANSWER ME!!!"

The crowd was beginning to mutter at this, and when he began to shake the young Queen, several cats cried out in protest to this abuse. Just as soon as he had started, however, he stopped. Just froze, completely still, his eyes fixed on Teazer's chest, on the tag that hung from the strand of pearls that were fastened around her neck. His lips shook as he mouthed the words, 'Love, Mungojerrie'.

"Mungojerrie….WHO IS HE?!?!" Dymian screamed, jerking Rumpleteazer to her feet.

She whimpered and tried to pull away, crying, "He's my brother! Just my brother!"

"LIES!"

Dymian threw her to the ground, his eyes grazing the crowd before they met exactly what they were looking for. Jerrie looked infinitely confused, and didn't even budge as Dymian raised his right paw, muttering, "You're going to hell for this, YOU QUEEN STEALING BASTERD!!!"

There was a bang, a cloud of smoke, and a pained scream as a body dropped to the floor. As the smoke cleared, there were cries and wails as the body was revealed to be that of Jemima, who had been quicker than Jerrie (poor soul!) to realize what was happening. She had bravely jumped, to save her love…

"JEMIMA!"

Mungojerrie flew to the tiny Queen's side. She was still alive, it seemed, though with a gaping hole in her chest, there didn't seem to be much life left in her. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she struggled for air with her mutilated lungs.

Dymian stood, dumbstruck, and several cats started for him, preparing to rip him to shreds, but one look of his still potent eyes, and they found that they had no will to do so.

Mungojerrie was cradling the little one's body. Mistoffelees was at her side now, and was shaking his head, whispering, "There's nothing I can do…An accident like that can't be fixed with magic…"

He backed away, and everyone watched, dumbfounded at the second of two tragedies that had befallen them so recently. Jemima managed to turn her eyes to Jerrie, who was, for perhaps the first time in his life, crying. She whispered, in as sweet and calm a voice as anyone would think possible, "Jerrie….Sing for me…Please…"

Mungojerrie nodded, and immediately began to pour his broken soul out, determined to give her the most beautiful music she would ever hear.

"**Once upon another time,**

**I knew how our story would end…**

**I had a taste of joy!**

**The most I ever knew….**

**Now there isn't any time,**

**And somehow our story is done…**

**And, without your love…**

**What am I to do?"**

Jemima shuddered, smiling in spite of all her pain, happy to hear this music. Her smile disappeared at the last words, however, and for a moment, she struggled, wondering how best to answer him. Slowly, though her lungs and throat were aching, she sang,

"_Just love!  
Just live!  
And give what you can give.  
And take the love that you deserve…"_

The crowd gave a collective sigh, some from emotion at that voice trying its very best to sound like the angelic thing that it was, some at the look on Mungojerrie's face, which was one of torn despair, and hopelessness, and pure euphoria. He sang with her, his voice the one that was breaking,

**"_Just love  
Just live  
And give-"_**

Mungojerrie put his paw over the song bird's lips and sang the next part by himself, hearing the strain in his love's voice,

**"You all I have…**

**And take what little I deserve…"**

There was another silence as the two looked at each other, sensing that this moment would soon be over, that the little Queen didn't have much time left to breath. Jemima had closed her eyes while listening to Jerrie's voice and now opened them again, a sense of urgency in her voice now as she sang, almost painfully,

_"Come closer,_

_I beg you…"_

Mungojerrie leaned closer to her face, but stayed a respectable distance, not wanting to crowd her, unsure of her intentions. Jemima shook her head, and beckoned him closer with a barely wiggling claw.

_"Closer still…"_

He drew as close as he dared to, his head only inches from her beautiful, though pale one. She reached up with shaky paws, cupping his face. Slowly, she sang, much lower than she normally would have,

_"Remember…_

_Love never dies!_

_Kiss me one last time…"_

Jerrie needed no more urging. He lunged forward, and claimed the little Queen's lips in a fiery kiss, only the second one of his life. She responded with surprising vigor, swirling her tongue with his and, for a moment, music seemed to swell around them, dipping and rising, matching the passion in their hearts and minds. The world around them fell away, the horrified crowd and the still Dymian, the frightened Rumpleteazer, and the watchful Mr. Mistoffelees, they were all gone, and it was bliss, utter bliss, perfection, wonder…And there was a shuddering gasp from the pink Queen, and suddenly, it was all over. Mungojerrie slowly moved away from the dead kiss, and Jemima's head fell limply backwards, her eyes closed, a tiny smile on her frozen features. She had, for a moment, tasted joy and music…And that was all that she had ever needed.


	20. We Have All Been Blind

**New chapter! Hurray! OMG, guess what?! No music in this one! 0.0 By the way, JOIN MY RPG, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is all ^_^**

* * *

"Jerrie, she's gone…You can let go of her now."

"No…"

"You have to let go!"

"NO! "

Mungojerrie shoved Mr. Mistoffelees away from him and Jemima's body, eliciting another gasp from the enraptured crowd. Mistoffelees staggered back, running into Dymian, who seemed to finally wake from his stupor. He grabbed Mistoffelees, and pushed him away, advancing towards Mungojerrie again with his arm outstretched, still blindly determined to kill this Tom that he believed had won his Queen's heart.

Unfortunately for him, Mungojerrie had looked up just at that moment to see where Mistoffelees had gone to, and saw the black Tom coming towards him. Jerrie gave a roar of outrage, and leapt up, letting Jemima's limp body fall, "YOU MURDERED HER!!!"

Still blind to everything that was going on, and somehow, through power of extremely potent hypnosis, believing that the death had been the result of a tragic accident, in which no harm was meant, the crowd watched dumbly as the two Toms stared at each other, poised to fight. Macavity himself was sizing the two up in his head, eager to watch a good fight. Mungojerrie was slim, it was true, but he was agile, and had often been a help on the fighting line back in the old days, though he had always blatantly refused to do anything more than injure a cat. Dymian was strong and muscular, but, from what Macavity could tell, wasn't very fast, and might have a tough time keeping up with Jerrie, though, if the black Tom did manage to get one good swipe in, that might be the end of the battle. Battle…What was going on?!

He jerked back as the full force of what was going on hit him. His subconscious mind had been battling with hypnotized mind for the entire day (Could it have been only a day?!) and had finally, at this moment, broken through. Dymian…This Tom! What was he doing?! Taking the place of Old Deuteronomy, murdering an innocent little Queen, and quite possibly baring the blame for the death of the old leader!!!

Macavity let out a cry, and broke through the crowd of cats, heading straight for Dymian's throat. "YOU'RE GONNA BURN IN HELL, YOU MANIPULATIVE BASTARD!"

The black Tom looked up, but it was too late. Macavity had him, his claws digging into Dymian's neck with brute force. There was spluttering for a moment as the two cats fought for dominance, each with his paws around the others throat. The crowd simply took this as a new development and didn't say a word, watching with rapt attention, all secretly rooting for their new leader to triumph over this evil….Except for two Queens, and, luckily for all involved, one decided to make a move.

Bombalurina rushed forward, and used the only fighting skills that she had ever possessed- she slapped Dymian full across the face. The surprise and sheer stupidity of this action stunned everyone for a moment and the Toms stopped struggling, releasing their grips.

During this pause, though no one at the front noticed, whispers began to spread throughout the crowd. Cats began to shift nervously back and forth, suddenly uncomfortable with the passing events and the stance they had taken.

Dymian looked between Macavity, Bombaluriana and Mungojerrie, all of whom were ready for an attack, just waiting for his first move. He knew he couldn't repair the damage now. If he were to fight, he would probably end up killing at least one cat and he knew he couldn't cover for two deaths, even with all the strength that he possessed. No, he decided, as cool and calm as you please, it was best to cut his losses and flee.

With a smirk, he moved. It was not at all the move that any of the cats had expected, but one that they very well should have. Dymian had shot down, and scooped up the dazed Rumpleteazer. She woke from her trance as soon as he touched her, and screamed, "GET OFF! GET OFF!"

But he paid her no mind and, with a last sneer down at the broken body of Jemima (a sneer that hid what horror and disgust he felt with himself) he disappeared, running off over a pile of junk.

"NO!"

Mungojerrie cried out, stumbling forward. He couldn't lose Rumpleteazer too, he couldn't…The Queen's cries could still be heard, off in the distance, as the cats watched with dumbstruck horror. Jerrie stared hopelessly after them, his eyes filling with tears again. Macavity muttered a few choice oaths under his breath and turned back to the captive crowd. He had to make them understand, had to make them see what was going on, because he knew a rescue mission of this scale could not be conducted without the help of more cats.

"We've all been blind!" He yelled at the crowd, who flinched. Macavity had never been much good at motivational speeches and he paused for a moment, debating between a threatening approach, and a tender one. He decided that the latter would be more fitting. "Don't you see what's been going on? This Tom…He's been pulling the wool over our eyes! He hypnotized us all, and we let ourselves be led along blindly….And she paid the price!"

He pointed with an abnormally long claw at the body of Jemima. Again, there was discomfort in the crowd, but Macavity didn't take any notice. "We can't let him take the life of another innocent Jellicle! We have to go after him!"

"But he'll kill us all!" Piped up Plato from the back of the throng.

"Ya! And she's not even a Jellicle, she was a Henchcat!"

"She doesn't deserve our help!"

Macavity seemed to turn about 3 shades of red darker as he looked out on the crowd, "COWARDS!" He yelled, "You're all cowards! Every life matters, even if she wasn't a Jellicle! A cat is a cat!"

There was silence as the audience took this in. Then, unbelievably, someone stepped forward. It was Munkustrap. "You're right, Mac…" He whispered softly, "That Queen needs our help….Whose going to join in?"

Again, silence. Again, Macavity looked over the crowd with disdain, before reaching out a claw, and drawing a line in the copious dirt of the Junkyard floor. "If you have enough guts to call yourself a Jellicle…Cross the line!"

That did it. Slowly, cats began to filter across the line, until no one was left on the other side. Macavity smiled (It was more like a sneer, actually. He wasn't much for smiles) and cried, "Alright! We have to move fast! Mistoffelees, we're going to need some lights, there's no moon tonight! Can you conjure us something? Toms, come forward, I'm gonna make you so weapons! Queens, stay back, get some lights from Misto! Kittens….Well…Kittens stay behind."

There was a cry of protest, mainly from Gracietta and Malaro. They ran up to their father, begging to come along, but he quickly pushed them away, crying, "I SAID STAY BEHIND!"

* * *

Through all of this, Mungojerrie stayed in the same spot, staring dumbly at the junk pile that his sister had been hauled over. She was gone…Gone…

"Jerrie…"

There was a tug on his tail, and Jerrie looked down to see Electra, best friend and adoptive sister of Jemima sitting below him, "Jerrie, come with me…I think I know where he took her…"


	21. Down Once More

Dymian dragged Rumpleteazer along the ground, as she tripped along, trying to keep up with him. He was breathing heavily with anger and disappointment, and she was scared to death of where he was taking her, and what he planned to do. He started to sing, perhaps because he needed to express what he felt (Cats can't express themselves in most any other way except singing and dancing, no matter what the situation), or perhaps because he wanted so desperately for her to love him that he was willing to seduce her with any tool he had at his disposal.

_"Down once more to the dungeon of my black despair!_  
_Down we plunge to the prison of my mind!_  
_Down that path into darkness deep as hell!"_

Suddenly, he whirled her around, her wrists held firmly in his grip, and almost screamed in her face, his eyes red and angry,

_"Why, you ask, was I bound to wander, from place to dismal place?_  
_Not for any mortal sin, but the Jellicle's idea of disgrace!"_

"They never accepted me!" He screamed, shaking Rumpleteazer violently. "I wasn't born a Jellicle, and they though me too monstrous to join, thought my FACE a symbol of my character!!! They thought I must be a Henchcat, and everyone else though the same!"

* * *

Not too far away, the crowd of Jellicles was ready for the fight, ready to find this cat who had done such horrid things to them. The Queens were scattered throughout the mob, holding long sticks with a ball of magical light on the end, to light the way in the pitch black. The Toms had sharpened iron poles, with the help of Macavity, and were now wielding them like spears, ready to ram them through that Tom. They were chanting together (Again, cats needed music, to express any sort of passion), a morbid chant that reflected their feelings,

"Track down this murderer!  
He must be found!"

* * *

Dymian pulled Rumpleteazer along again, even more roughly, as they approached a place that was eerily familiar to her. He was still singing, more for his own pleasure then for her now, and…could he possibly be crying?

_"Hounded out by everyone!_  
_Met with hatred everywhere!_  
_No kind word from anyone!_  
_No compassion anywhere!"_

He swung Rumpleteazer around and pushed her against a fence, his blue eyes luminescent in the darkness, glaring down at her, wet with suppressed tears.

_"Darling…Rumple..._  
_Why, why ...?"_

She couldn't answer him- what was one supposed to say in a situation like that? She shook her head slowly, whimpering softly. He growled, and jerked her down, pulling her through a hole in the fence.

* * *

Not half a mile away, Mungojerrie was desperately trying to keep up with Electra, who was scampering over boxes and streets with surprising speed. "Electra, please! Tell me where she is!"

"I can't! I swore I wouldn't!"

"Please!"

"No! Jemima would…"

But she stopped, hanging her head as she came to a halt in front of Jerrie. He stopped as well, his heart shaking with that name… "Jemima…Please, Electra…Now I have to know."

She sighed softly, and turned to face him, whispering, "Do you remember when Rumpleteazer ran away for the first time, just before you two became Henchcats?"

Mungojerrie nodded, very confused.

"Well…Jemima found her, when she was gone. She found where she had run to- Please, don't be angry with her! She only wanted to help Rumpleteazer, because she seemed to need time on her own…She didn't know what was going on, really, she didn't! And she told me, because she thought, maybe, if she told someone, she wouldn't feel so awful about what had happened."

Mungojerrie stared at the little kitten. She was only a year or two younger than Jemima, but still she looked so young, as though she were still a baby, still suckling from her mother…It was amazing, that she had known, all along…And he hadn't, hadn't had a clue of where his little sister had run to, and had been worried sick…Like he was now.

"It's just ahead…Go straight, you can't miss it. It's a big, fenced in area. I'm sure that's where they will be…I can't go any further, because if Macavity finds out that I didn't stay behind, I'm dead…And I'm scared."

She blushed and quickly scampered off, screaming behind her, "Be careful!"

* * *

Rumpleteazer was sitting underneath that three-legged table again, on the same pillow. For some reason, the dump didn't seem to have changed in the least bit since she had last been there. Dymian was standing in front of her, pacing back and forth, his eyes closed, seeming very troubled. He was troubled! Oh, he had good reason to be, the horrible, horrible Tom! She sang shrilly, trying to keep herself from lunging forward and throttling him.

**"Have you gorged yourself at last, in your lust for blood?!**  
**Am I now to be prey to your**  
**lust for flesh?!"**

Dymian turned, very slowly to face his despairing bride, who was looking up at him defiantly. Slowly, almost mockingly, he sang,

_"That fate, which condemns me to wallow in blood, has also denied me_  
_the joys of the flesh ..."_

She scoffed loudly, and turned away from him. He stepped closer still, singing more thoughtfully now, studying her face.

_"This fate - the infection_  
_which poisons our love ..."_

She flinched at hearing the word, such a mockery of her feelings- love. How could he think that she would still love him, that she would even be able to stand being around him now?!

_"My face, which earned a Jellicle fear and loathing ..._  
_A mask, my worst, an unseen angel calling..."_

He stared at her, filled with self hate and pity. Why couldn't she love him?! She should…and she would! He grabbed her face roughly, and turned it forcefully towards his, despite her angry protests.

_"Pity comes too late - turn around_  
_and face your fate: an eternity of this before your eyes!"_

There was silence as Rumpleteazer stared into Dymian's face…It really wasn't so horrible to look at. The only thing that scared anyone was what it could mean…That he was a Henchcat, a murderer…Someone to be feared. She didn't care that he had been something horrible now…She knew that he wasn't a Henchcat, and never would be. But…His mind…His twisted, twisted mind! How could she be with someone capable of murder?!

Her gaze softened as she whispered, still with his tune,

**"This haunted face holds no horror for me now ...**  
**It's in your soul that the true distortion lies ..."**

He sighed, a chocked sob mingling with his exhaled breath, looking down in despair.


	22. Superboy and the Invisible Girl

Alright, so obviously, more Down Once More, AND a special surprise! Superboy and the Invisible Girl, from Next to Normal! I was listening to the soundtrack and was like OMG! THIS IS TOTALLY HOW TEAZER FEELS! :P So, yeah...Enjoy!

Suddenly, from his depression, Dymian perked up, looking around, apparently havening sensed something. His eyes focused on a point beyond Rumpleteazer's line of sight. He gave a laugh, and sang, again with a mocking tone,

"**Wait! I think, my dear, we have a guest!"**

Rumpleteazer scrambled to her feet, and rushed past Dymian, who didn't attempt to stop her as she rushed to see who her savior was.

"Jerrie!"

Mungojerrie was standing, his fur mangled and matted, in front of the hole in the fence, breathing hard. He had run the entire way, once he started to hear their voices, and he stared longingly at his sister, wanting so badly to save her.

Dymian smirked as he stood up, crying,

"**Sir, this is indeed an unparalleled delight!"**

He gave a mock bow and walked closer, looking the small Tom up and down.

"**I had rather hoped that you would come.  
And now my wish comes true - you have truly made my night!"**

He reached out and around Rumpleteazer's waist, pulling her forcefully to his side with one eyebrow raised, almost daring Mungojerrie to come and save her. Teazer scratched at him, whimpering, terrified, "Let me go!"

Mungojerrie looked between the two, and decided that reason was his best bet of getting her back,

"Free her!  
Do what you like, only free her!  
Have you no pity?"

Dymian raised his eyebrows, amused, and turned to Teazer, singing dryly,

"**Your brother makes a passionate plea!"**

Rumpleteazer whimpered and turned to Jerrie again. She wanted to be saved, didn't want to spend her life with this…monster! But how could she put her brother in danger?

"_Please, Jer, it's useless!"_

Mungojerrie took notice of his sister, and continued to stare at Dymian, this monster who had killed his angel of music, and now was probably going to do the same to his sister…But he wasn't going to allow that, not in a million years!

"I love her!  
Does that mean nothing?  
I love her!  
Show some compassion!"

Dymian roared in outrage at this, snarling,

"**The world showed no compassion to me!"**

Mungojerrie winced as the enormous tom yelled at him. This wasn't going to work…But, perhaps, if he could just get him to let go of his sister…He could grab her, and take her back to the Junkyard! It wasn't an elaborate plan, and it really wasn't a good one, but it was the only one that he had. Softly, more tenderly, he sang,

"Teazer, Teazer…  
Let me see her ..."

Dymian scoffed loudly, and let the little Queen go, singing carelessly,

"**Be my guest, sir…"**

As Mungojerrie tiptoed tentatively forward, hardly daring to believe that his plan had worked, Teazer looked over at Dymian, bewildered, and really not willing to believe that he would let her go so easily. Sure enough, he was watching Jerrie's every move as he drew closer to his prize. Slowly, with a patronizing smile to the Tom, Dymian sang,

"**Monsieur, I bid you welcome…**

**Did you think that I would harm her?**

**Why would I make her pay,**

**For the sins which are YOURS!"**

On that last word, he clicked his fingers, and a long chain sprung from his palm, which he flung towards Mungojerrie. It hit him with a sickening smack, and he was slammed against the fence, and the chain fastened around him, holding him to the poles in the fence. Rumpleteazer screamed and tried to run to her brother, but Dymian was faster than she was. He reached Jerrie first, and tightened the chain around his chest, threatening to crack his ribs wide open. Teazer stopped, and listened helplessly as he screamed in Jerrie's face,

"Try to steal my darling now!

If you do, she'll watch you die!

Nothing can save you now,

Except, perhaps, Rumple!"

He whirled around to stare at Rumpleteazer, the chain held tightly in his paws, seething as he screamed at her. His eyes were colder than they had ever been before, boring holes into her, trying to hypnotize a subject that had become immune long ago.

"**Start a new life with me!**

**Buy his freedom with your love!**

**Refuse me, and you send your brother to his death!**

**This is your choice!**

**This is the point of no return!"**

He shook the chain threateningly, staring at Rumpleteazer, who trembled under his gaze. "Please…" She whispered, "Let me see him…Let me speak to him…Dymian, please, just let me…say goodbye…"

There was silence for a moment as Dymian thought over this. Goodbye meant…It meant that she was coming with him! But…It could also be all a part of her plot, to get away, to run off with her fop of a brother. But one look at her hopeful face, and he could deny her nothing at all. He nodded slowly, and stepped backwards, still holding the chain, but stepping a respectful distance away so he could not here what they were saying.

Rumpleteazer gulped and rushed towards her brother, hugging him tightly around the waist. Dymian's heart filled with jealousy, but he forced himself to keep calm. Soon…Soon she would be hugging him like that, would be begging and pleading for his touch, for his love…

* * *

"Jerrie, I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright…"

"I never meant for-"

"It's fine, Rumple…"

"But Jerrie, Jemima-"

"I said drop it!"

Rumpleteazer stared at her brother, hurt at his tone, even in this moment. His face softened and he whispered, "Come on…I'll take you home…"

"But…Jerrie, you don't understand…"

"I understand everything, Teazer. You made mistakes. You harbored this…Monster! But we can fix everything if you just come with me…I can fight him, I know I can! I can beat him-"

"NO!"

Now it was Mungojerrie's turn to stare at his sister in wonder, confused. "But…Things could go back to the way they used to be…."

"I don't want that! You don't understand what my life used to be like…What is was…Everyone noticed you, the handsome Tom, the brilliant one, the one who could thieve from five houses in one night…But me…They never noticed me. I was the silly, giggling Queen, no one took me seriously…Or even saw me…"

She stepped back a little, and sang, ever so softly,

"_Superboy and the Invisible Girl…  
Son of Steel and Daughter of Air.  
He's a hero, a lover, a prince,  
She's not there…"_

Dymian was watching her now, listening to her sing. He knew what she was trying to convey to his brother, goodness knows that he knew…She had talked about it to him so often, how he was the hero of the duo, and she…She wasn't there.

"_Superboy and the Invisible Girl  
Everything a Tom oughtta be  
You're immortal, forever alive  
Then there's me…"_

She stood hopelessly before him, and closed her eyes, singing even more passionately, not caring who heard. Mungojerrie was staring dumbly at her, not knowing what to think.

_I wish I could fly!  
And magically appear and disappear…  
I wish I could fly!  
I'd fly far away from here…"_

"Teazer, that's not true!"

Jerrie had found his voice, and was staring patronizingly at his little sister, whispering, "That's not true at all, and you know it. They know you're there…The Jellicles like you! I know they do…"

"How would you have any idea?!"

Dymian stepped forward, staring angrily at Mungojerrie, but Teazer pushed him gently aside, looking sadly at Jerrie.

"_Take a look at the Invisible Girl!  
Here she is, clear as the day…  
Please look closely and find her before she fades away…"_

Dymian would not be head back, however, and joined her the only way he knew how. He grabbed her paws and sang straight to her, feeling her pain. She accepted this without question and sang with him, though her eyes were still fixed on Mungojerrie.

**_"Superboy and the Invisible Girl!_**  
**_Son of Steel and Daughter of Air…_**  
**_He's a hero, a lover, a prince!_**  
**_She's not there…_**  
**_She's not there!_**  
**_She's not there!_**  
**_She's not there!!!"_**


	23. Confrontation

**There's not much to this chapter, I'm really sorry about that. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to have happen, so I kind of just winged it. (Wung it? Winged it? Help -.-) I normally have an exact plan as to what is going to happen in every chapter, but I didn't this time, so the next chapter will be as much a surprise to me as to you! :D**

* * *

"Rumpleteazer…Please, I never knew that-"

"You never knew?! You never cared! You were too busy being fawned on by the others, being the best all the time, even among the Henchcats!"

"Please, I-"

Dymian snarled loudly, and tightened the chain that he was still holding. Mungojerrie spluttered and coughed, choking on his own blood. Rumpleteazer only winced, watching as her brother struggled for air. After a moment, Dymian relaxed again and Jerrie gasped and clawed at the chains, too weak to speak now. Dymian turned to Rumpleteazer and whispered, with his eyebrows raised, "Now….Make your choice."

Rumpleteazer looked back and forth, from her brother to her lover. The choice would seem clear to any bystander…But it wasn't for Teazer, not in the slightest. The obvious choice was her brother- the one she had known since her birth, her closest friend, and the only piece of family that she had left. But he also had a bad side, one that had driven her away from him long ago, and started this whole mess in the first place. He was conceited, and blind to how much of an ego manic that he really was. To make matters worse, the other cats only encouraged him, fawning over him, and completely ignoring Rumpleteazer. She didn't want things to go back to the way they had been! She wanted something to change, someone to notice her, for once in her small life!

On the other paw was Dymian…What was to be said about him? He was smart, gorgeous, attractive, a glorious singer…And she loved him, because he was her angel, her protector, her knight in shining armor. But, he was a murderer, a killer, a cold blooded killer! He had hypnotized the entire Jellicle clan into thinking that he was going to take care of them, was going to protect them from evil, like Old Deuteronomy had…And would still be doing so, if Dymian hadn't murdered him, in cold blood!

"You try my patience, girl!" Dymian snarled, "Make your choice!"

He yanked on the chain again, and Mungojerrie coughed and gasped, fighting for air against the metal links that were cutting into his chest and throat. After a moment, he recovered, and turned his gaze to Rumpleteazer. In a hoarse whisper, he managed, "Teazer, forgive me, please forgive me!"

Another silence ensued, broken only by Dymian's angry breathing, and Jerrie's panting and suppressed sobs. Slowly, Rumpleteazer turned to her brother, who had always been by her side. She mouthed a silent and secret, "I love you…" in his direction, and then closed her eyes.

"Take me, Dymian…I don't care what you do to me, just let 'im go…"

There was a rattling sound, like a chain being dropped, and a stifled gasp from Jerrie (Teazer knew this- it's hard not to know what a gasp from your own twin brother sounds like). She opened her eyes just in time to see the large black Tom, with a gleam of triumph, grabbing Mungojerrie from the side of the fence, and crouching down next to the hole in the fence, trying to force him away. Jerrie braced himself against the hole in a position that would have been quite funny had the situation not been so grave. His paws were pressed against the edge of the hole, and he was trying desperately to land a hit on Dymian's chest with his feet.

Rumpleteazer gave a gasp of horror and ran forward, grabbing Dymian's arm, trying to pull him off of her brother, "Stop it! Stop it! Leave 'im alone! You said you would let 'im go!"

The Tom snarled and threw her off, but that small distraction allowed Mungojerrie time to get up. He leapt away from the hole in the fence, and took a fighting stance, hissing at Dymian. Rumpleteazer landed in a pile of trash nearby, and her head hit against the side of a pipe. Dazed, she watched dumbly as the scene unfolded before her.

Dymian turned to see that Jerrie had lunged at him. Jerrie caught the Tom around his neck, his claws digging into his throat. Dymian spluttered and choked, trying to throw the calico Tom off of him, struggling for air just as Mungojerrie had been just a moment ago. Finally, he managed to throw the Tom off of him. Jerrie flipped through the air and landed on all fours, ready for another attack, but Dymian was already upon him. He grabbed the little Tom's wrist, and there was a sickening crack as he squeezed. Mungojerrie yelled and swung his paw back, and then rammed it into Dymian's stomach. The black Tom gagged, and bent over, still holding Mungojerrie's wrist.

As the two dove right back into the throng, fighting for all they were worth, Rumpleteazer found that her vision was becoming even fuzzier. She couldn't see, couldn't hear a thing except for her brother's pained screams, and Dymian's malicious laughter.


	24. I Am The One

**PLEASE forgive me for my absence! I'm so so so sorry! I had a show, we were doing Thirteen, I had so much homework that I couldn't even take a second to breathe...and I had to stop something. BUT I'M BACK NOW! Review, and tell me how much you missed me :P**

* * *

Rumpleteazer woke to the sounds of labored breathing, and soft whimpering. She was reluctant to open her eyes at first- her head still ached from her fall. Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyes flickered open to witness a gruesome sight.

Dymian was sprawled across the concrete floor of the area, and it was he who was whimpering so piteously. His right side had been slashed open; a long cut that was dripping blood onto the pavement. His left paw was clutching at the slice in his body, and Teazer could tell from the faint crackling noises that he was trying desperately to heal himself, but could not muster the strength required.

Nearby, Mungojerrie was watching the scene with a mixture of horror and triumph on his face. He was covered in dark red blood that obviously wasn't his. Teazer could only watch the two as Dymian's breathing grow more and more labored, until his paw finally slipped back from his side, giving up all hope of recovery.

"DYMIAN!"

Teazer screamed and jumped up, ignoring the vicious pounding in her head as she sprinted towards Dymian's still and gasping form. Mungojerrie saw her coming, but could only look on as she knelt beside her fallen her, so great was his surprise at her sudden waking.

"Dymian…" The calico Queen whimpered as she fell to her knees beside the great black Tom.

Slowly, Dymian seemed to become aware of the presence of a new person, though his pain was so great that he had given up listening to anything but the continued pounding of his fragile heart. He opened his bloodshot eyes and stared blankly at the Queen for a moment before giving a soft, almost heartbreaking smile, "Hello, my darling…"

Rumpleteazer, meanwhile, was tearfully trying to get closer to her lover's wound, pushing him gently onto his side so she could see it better. She had to save him, couldn't let him die…Not him too… "Please…"

He limply allowed her to roll him over, like a doll, and lay still as she frantically looked over the cut. But he growled as her claws scraped very lightly against the cut, sending a spasm of pain through his body, "No…I don't want….don't want you to see this…Please, love, you must go…"

With the little strength he had left, he pushed her bodily away from his steadily dripping wound, and fell hard back on his back. Teazer stared at him for a moment, frozen with disbelief and sheer terror of the prospect of losing him. Slowly, very slowly, she stood up, turning her back on her fallen angel. She walked to her brother, and that walk seemed to take an eternity, each step longer than the last. Finally, she reached him, her face set in stone, her gaze as cold as ice.

"Out." She whispered, pointing a trembling claw towards the hole in the fence that they had entered from.

Mungojerrie blinked, unable and unwilling to comprehend. He had just destroyed the ghost that had been ruining his little sister's life for two long years! The monster that had killed Old Deuteronomy and his Jemima! And yet, she was looking at him as though he was the monster, the murderer!

"Teazer, I just-"

"OUT!" Rumpleteazer screamed, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

Jerrie stared at his little sister for only a second more before turning and ducking out of the fenced area.

He emerged in the smoky alley where he had come from, biting his lip hard, trying not to cry. It was all so wrong, so very very wrong. She was supposed to have thanked him, supposed to have been so happy that she would forgive him for what he had done wrong. But she hadn't! She had pushed him out on the streets, forsaken him for this…this demon!

Jerrie looked over his shoulder as he began to stumble along, not knowing quite where he was going to go. Softly, he sang, a small song that he hoped she would hear.

_"I am the one who loved you,_

_I am the one who stayed._

_I am the one,_

_And you pushed me away…."_

Mungojerrie stopped walking altogether, and simply looked over his shoulder at the fenced-in area. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep himself from crying as he sang the last lyrics.

_"I am the one who waited,_

_And now, you think that I just don't give a damn…_

_Like you never knew who I am…"_

He gulped, and moved over to a cardboard box to sit down. He buried his face in his paws, and began to cry. He honestly and truthfully wanted to die. He had lost everything, everything that meant something to him. It was all over…

* * *

Rumpleteazer sat beside Dymian's body, her eyes red from crying. He was still alive, but not by much at this point. His eyes were glassy as he looked at her face, studying it, wanting to remember it for eternity. His wound had finally clotted enough to stop the bleeding, but he had lost so much blood already…It was unlikely that he would make it to morning, though the horizon was already pink with the promise of dawn. The Queen sat in solemn silence, her fingers interlaced with his bloodstained paw, rubbing it gently.

"Rumple…."

"Yes?"

She looked down at him, forcing a small smile on her face.

"Do you know…Do you know how I found you?"

"I…No, I don't…"

"I saw you thieving one night, with your….with a friend…You were beautiful, Rumple…So beautiful…"

His eyes were deep pools of blue, sadness etched in every bit of them as he stared up at her face, stained with his blood and her tears streaming through the dried blood. "I loved you…From the moment I saw you, I loved you…I couldn't let you go…I couldn't let you leave me, like everyone else…"

He swallowed loudly, and, for the first time in his life, a tear ran down his face, "I'm sorry, Rumple…I'm so so sorry….Please….I'm sorry…I didn't mean…They weren't supposed to die! I'm sorry…So sorry…"

Again and again, he repeated his repenting words as tears spilled down his face, making him gasp for air. Teazer simply stared at him, so shocked at this sudden repent, this show of some emotion other than anger. Slowly, her expression softened and she leaned down, wrapping her arms tightly around the crying Tom. His cries began to quiet, and he lay in her arms, like a small child. After a moment, he regained his composure and gently pushed her back, laying back down on the ground by himself and closing his eyes, content for the moment.

The night was incredibly peaceful as Teazer looked down at her now sleeping hero, a small smile on her face. Even though he was dying, he was happy…Happy as was possible for him. All was quiet and perfect….Except…

**"Track down this murderer,**

**He must be found!**

**Track down this murderer,**

**He must be found!"**

Those voices! The Jellicles were near! Rumpleteazer shot up, and looked out of the hole in the fence that she had entered through. Through it, she could see a mob of cats, some carrying bulbs of magical lights in their paws, some carrying spears. She barely stifled a scream of horror, and crouched down, trying to pull Dymian to his feet, "Please…Please, we have to get you out of here!"

The shaking woke the Tom from his stupor, and he opened his eyes blearily, focusing them on Teazer. It only took him a moment to register what was wrong- the chanting of the Jellicles could still be heard. He grabbed Teazer's wrist with a death grip and pulled himself painfully to a sitting position. He himself immediately realized, from the strain of just pulling himself up, that there would be no escape for him this time. He couldn't run, he couldn't fly- he couldn't even walk. This was the end.

"Rumple….Go hide."

"What? No! We have to get out of here! They'll kill you, Dymian!"

"I can't get out of here, Rumple, please listen! If you try to protect me, they'll kill us both! Please, go hide!"

"But-"

"GO!"

Rumpleteazer whimpered as Dymian shoved her backwards with all the strength he possessed, trying to save the one thing he had left to his name. She looked at the Tom's sullen form for a moment before turning slowly on her heel and walking towards the entrance to a small pipe that circled the area. She wriggled into the pipe, and quickly crept deeper, hiding herself from view. As she did so, she heard a smash, like wood being splintered, and cries of horror and triumph. The Jellicles had broken in.


	25. No Good Deed

**Again, musical moments in my story :D This one should be OBVIOUS, if you don't know where it's from, you are a MUSICAL FAILURE! Just saying ^_^ REVIEW OR DIE!**

Rumpleteazer barely kept herself from screaming as she heard the Jellicles filtering in, around Dymian, their loud voices full of contempt for the wounded Tom. She tried desperately to turn around, to assist her lover, no matter what he said about keeping her safe, but she discovered that the pipe was much too small to turn sideways in. More frightened than she had ever been before, she lay still, trying to catch the action behind her.

"…you at last!" A Tom's voice was snarling, "But it looks to me as though some lucky soul got here first! You don't have much longer too live, that much I can see….What shall we do with the beast?"

"Feed him to the Pollicles!"

"No, the Pekes! Much more vicious!"

"Leave him to die!"

The crowd of Jellicles had erupted into a flurry of ideas, all as morbid and awful as the next. Teazer whimpered as she heard the blood lust in their voices, heard their desire to kill, to destroy what they believed to be a monster. Suddenly, there was a complete silence. Teazer could only assume that the leader had signaled them to be quiet.

"All are excellent ideas!" The Tom's voice was speaking again, "But I am rather partial to the idea of taking him back to the Junkyard, and torturing him until he falls dead!"

The crowd clapped and cheered, crying, "Revenge for Jemima! Revenge for Old Deuteronomy! Revenge for-"

"Wait!"

There was another ominous silence, and Teazer could feel her breath catch in her throat as the leader said, almost silently, "Where is Rumpleteazer?"

Another silence followed, and Teazer thought that her heart was going to fly out of her chest. This was surely the end. Dymian couldn't possibly find his way out of this one, no matter what he tried. But then, out of the silence, Dymian's low and smooth voice murmured, as calm and put together as you please, "She ran away…She's the one that did this to me…"

There was an astonished hush as the crowd took this in. Then, the leader (at this point, Teazer was quite sure that it was Macavity speaking and taking charge) softly whispered, almost too quietly for her to hear, "Well, I'll be damned…Well done, Teazer….Grab the brute, two at the front and two at his feet! And hurry! We need to get him back before sunrise!"

There was the sound of a very weak struggle and the fading cries of triumph and then…all was quiet. Rumpleteazer waited for a moment, listening to the sudden lack of noise in the air, her heart pounding so hard that it would surely give her away, if anyone was listening. Dymian was gone! Gone! And it was her fault…She couldn't have helped, if she hadn't been such a coward! She could have fought all of the Jellicles off, told them that he deserved to be left alive, because he was sorry for what he did….He only did it for love.

After making absolutely sure that no one was left in the clearing, Teazer slowly back out of the tiny pipe, and onto the ground. She slowly turned around, standing up as she rotated on her heel. The left side of the fence, from where she was standing, had been completely obliterated, probably by some magical force. Dymian was indeed gone, and the only sign that he had ever been there was…Teazer gave a tiny gasp of horror as she recognized the spot where Dymian had been laying. There was a large poop of deep red blood on the pavement, marking the spot forever more.

Rumpleteazer ran over to the blood, skidding to a stop as she fell on her knees. Dymian's life was spilled on the ground in front of her, as informally as one may spill a can of tomato juice. Slowly, with a shaking paw, she dipped a sharp claw into the pool and pulled it quickly out, watching a bead of the plasma roll down the black claw and drop back to the ground to join its friends. Blood….She had a plan to save Dymian. And it was going to work…It had to.

With more purpose, she slapped both paws into the blood and dragged them out, moving quickly over to a clean spot on the ground. She began to rub the blood on the pavement, drawing the complex shape she was surprised she could recall with such accuracy. She had seen Macavity perform a healing spell often enough, to save important Henchcats he had taken a liking to. He had even used a minor one on Mungojerrie once, when a Pollicle had slashed his arm clean open. The point was that she remembered exactly how he had done it…And all you needed to make it work was the blood of the wounded…And, of course, a magical cat, this was a problem. Teazer had never used magic before, had never spoken the words of a spell, had never even shown the slightest sign that she might have magical abilities. But she had to try….She had to save Dymian.

Teazer pressed her paws to the center of the shape she had drawn, her claws tapping a small star that adorned the very middle. Softly, very softly, she sang,

"_Eleka nahmen nahmen,_

_A tum, a tum,_

_Eleka nahmen!_

_Eleka nahmen nahmen,_

_A tum, a tum,_

_Eleka nahmen…"_

She slowly raised her paws above her head, the blood still dripping from them as she swung them over her head, slowly, solemnly, drawing complex shapes in the air as she sang,

"_Let his flesh not be torn,_

_Let his blood leave no stain,_

_Though they beat him, let him feel no pain!_

_Let his bones never break,_

_And however they try to destroy him,_

_Let him never die!_

_Let him never die…"_

She returned her paws to the blood shape, etching the edges, her heart pounding fiercely. Any minute now, the spell would work…The shape would glow, and she would know that she had saved Dymian's life. Any minute….

"_Eleka nahmen nahmen,_

_A tum, a tum,_

_Eleka nahmen!_

_Eleka nahmen nahmen,_

_A tum, a tum,_

_Eleka…eleka…"_

But the shape was glowing, nothing was happening. Teazer's eyes filled with tears as she slowly came to the realization that her passion and desire for this cat to live wasn't enough- it wasn't going to work. With a frustrated cry, she slammed her paws again the shape, crying,

"_What good is this chanting?_

_I don't even know what I'm saying!_

_I don't even know which trick I ought to try…_

_Dymian, where are you?_

_Already dead or bleeding! _

_One more disaster I can add to my generous supply!"_

She slowly stood up, suddenly calm as she dropped her paws to her side, the blood on her fur starting to harden against her skin. She looked down at the blood symbol she had drawn, the useless thing that had brought her nothing but woe. It didn't work…It wouldn't work for her.

And everything, everything that had happened was her fault, she knew that. Dymian had only acted how he felt was correct…It was she that he enabled him, had tried to take him in and make him better…But she hadn't even tried to do that, really! She had just let him take her over, thinking maybe that would satisfy him, thinking herself a good cat, keeping this…monster from harming everyone else! But it hadn't worked…She had failed.

"_No good deed goes unpunished…_

_No act of charity goes unresented._

_No good deed goes unpunished,_

_That's my new creed!_

_My road of good intentions led where such roads always lead…_

_No good deed…._

_Goes unpunished!"_

She held the mournful note as she knelt to the ground, slapping her paws into the still wet puddle of blood. Slowly, the blood settled again, the ripples growing calm…Blood….so much blood….

"_Jemima…_

_Old Deuteronomy…._

_Dymian…_

_Dymian!"_

She screamed the last word, her head spinning with images of her dying angel, lying there, bleeding his life out onto the cold pavement. Again, she slapped the bloody, the drop hitting her face and slid down her neck, staining her, marking her as something awful, something not to be befriended or even looked upon as normal.

"_One question haunts and hurts,_

_Too much,_

_Too much to mention!_

_Was I really seeking good?_

_Or just seeking attention?_

_Is that all good deeds are when looked at with an ice cold eye?_

_If that's all good deeds are,_

_Maybe that's the reason why…"_

Slowly, she rose again, her arms strong by her side, her face set with rage, and complete and utter loss of any sort of hope.

"_No good deed goes unpunished!_

_All helpful urges should be circumvented!_

_No good deed goes unpunished…_

_Sure, I meant well, but look at what well meant did…."_

She stared down at the blood again, her mind filled with nothing but images of Dymian dying…being tortured to death by the Jellicles…

"_Alright, enough!_

_So be it!_

_So be it then…._

_Let all the world be agreed…_

_I'm wicked through and through_

_Since I cannot succeed, Dymian, saving you!_

_I promise no good deed will I attempt to do again!_

_Ever again!_

_No good deed will I do…_

_Again!"_

She screamed the last note as loudly at she could, shouting it at the sky, the rising sun, shouting it to the Jellicles, miles away.


	26. Already Gone

**I'm sorry it's so short! **

Mungojerrie walked sullenly through the alleyway, watching the sun slowly rise over the horizon. He wasn't sure quite where he was going to go. The best choice, the logical choice, would be to return to the Junkyard, and try to forget…Try to live without his only sister. But how could he, knowing what was going to happen to her? Dymian would die, doubtless, and she would be left alone, with no way to defend herself against the world….But she was strong. She had proved that through many thievings and encounters with less than friendly cats and Pollicles. She could take care of herself, when she needed to. And she would.

With this in mind, Jerrie forced himself to turn the corner that would take him to the Junkyard. He could start a new life…Perhaps even be sent to the Heaviside layer, if he was deemed worthy of it. He would like that. He could see Jemima again…

* * *

Unbeknownst to Jerrie, Rumpleteazer was also on her way to the Junkyard, but with a different purpose in mind. She had her mind set. She was going to save Dymian, or die trying.

She crept up onto one of the piles of junk that marked the outskirts of the Junkyard, surveying the scene from her perch. There was no one around at all, and she could just catch a glimpse of the main clearing, the tire hub glinting in the light of the rising sun. There was no one there either. Everyone must have gone to bed, deciding to leave the prisoner until morning. With his wounds clotted, he would probably last the night on his own, but not much longer, if he didn't get any help. Now all she had to do was find him…

She crawled down the pile on the other side, entering the Junkyard outskirts. She hurried through them, dodging into a box or stray pile whenever she heard the slightest noise, and reaching the inner area in relatively little time. There, she paused, listening for a moment. She could, indeed, hear the steady sounds of sleep from the nearest dens, indicating that her earlier assumption had been at least half right- everyone in the Junkyard had gone to bed. Slowly, she crept into the center of the Junkyard, and find herself feeling faint at the sight that met her.

There, tied to the car that lay just to the right of the giant tire, was Dymian, slumped over, blood pouring from his body again. The world seemed to stand still as Teazer ran for him, knowing in her heart that it was too late as she reached his still body and lifted his great head. His eyes were shut tightly, his ears were flopped over, and yet another stream of blood was tricking down his lip. He was dead.

"NO!"

Rumpleteazer screamed, clawing at the ropes that bound him to the grill on the car. He couldn't be gone, not him too….It was too much, too much for her to handle, too much to comprehend.

The body dropped limply to the ground as she cut through the ropes, and she knelt beside him, cradling his head in her lap with a choked sob. He looked so peaceful, when he was dead….So much more so than he had when he was alive. He had gone to the Heaviside layer, she liked to think…He was much too good to go anywhere else, no matter what he had done…Because he was able to love. He had loved her, and his only hatred had been born out of his inability to be loved back. At least, he thought he had that inability…

With a shaky paw, Teazer leaned her head down and cupped Dymian's face in one paw. She had to give him something, had to make him see…Softly, and ever so gently, she pressed her lips to the corpse of her fallen angel, whispering to them, "I love you, Dymian…I'm so so sorry…."

"…Do you mean that, love?"


	27. The Blue Ghost

Rumpleteazer's eyes shot open as she heard Dymian's voice, a sound she would never forget. It was soft, achingly sad, beautiful, and timid, all at the same time, like a song. Scared half to death at what she might see, she looked down at Dymian's body, the lips she had just kissed. He was still, had not moved. His eyes were still shut tightly, proving that it couldn't have been he who spoke…But…she had heard his voice, loud and clear! She couldn't be wrong….

"I'm not there, love…Please, don't be frightened…Just…Turn around for me, please…."

Slowly, shaking with fear despite the voice's assurance to her, Teazer turned, keeping her dead lover's head in her lap- and let out a moan of absolute horror.

Standing in front of her was the strangest sight she had ever seen, and it made her quite faint just to look at it. It was, in the simplest way, Dymian. Of that much, she was sure. It was his body, his face, his eyes…But, oh, how changed! He was no longer black as night, with bright blue eyes. His eyes seemed to have melted into his fur, for he was a pale blue color, all over. He seemed to have the consistency of a ghost, for she could see through him, faintly, and his body seemed flimsy, weak, and little wisps of it seemed to float away from it when he moved. The best way to describe it was…ghostlike.

Dymian reached out a paw to her and she was reminded, painfully, of when she had first seen his face, his body- that awful moment of horror at realizing what he was, what she had pledged herself to. It was the same, completely the same. His face was grim, a begging look that you couldn't help but give in to. "Rumple, it's me…I know I'm different, but please…Please don't run away…"

"What….What happened to you?" Teazer whispered hoarsely, her gaze darting between the still body of her lover on her lap, and his living, breathing copy that stood in front of her, "What….Why are there two of you?"

Dymian winced at the question. It seemed he had been hoping that she wouldn't ask, that he would now have to explain something that he did not relish telling at all. "I…I will explain everything, I promise, love…But you must come with me, we can't stay here…The Jellicles will hear, and they can't see this…Only you may see me in this form…."

He extended his paw again, and Teazer, completely bemused, took it, letting him pull her to a standing position. She was surprised to find that his paw was solid. His former body flopped uselessly onto the ground, and Dymian winced again as he saw it. He drew Teazer in closer, tenderly, as though afraid she might pull away from him at any moment. She stayed with him, however, and he wrapped one paw around her back, holding her against his chest, blocking her view as he raised another paw, and pointed it at the body on the floor. There was a crack, and a flash of light, and the body flew back to its place on the car, again restrained by ropes.

Rumpleteazer could have cared less about what he was doing, however. She had eyes only for this Tom, his broad figure, his strong arms, his set gaze as he performed magic so effortlessly…Something she wished badly she had been able to do for him. But…It didn't matter now! He was alive! Or seemed to be…he couldn't be a ghost, for he was solid as any living cat.

She was jerked from her thoughts as Dymian looked down at her again, his eyes soft and caring. "Hold on to me, love…This might be a bit uncomfortable…"

Before she could protest, he had wrapped both his arms tightly around her back, holding him to her tighter than was comfortable. With a look of intense concentration, he pushed his hands together behind Teazer's back. There was a rush of noise, wind blowing around them, tearing them apart, pulling them away from each other! Teazer screamed, and groped at Dymian's fur, trying to hold on, to not be pulled away. Dimly, she was aware that the Junkyard had faded away, and they were whirling through space, pitch black walls around them, though she could see as though it were bright as day. Dymian's eyes were closed as he conducted them through this space, leading them wherever he planned on taking them.

And suddenly, the black space was gone, and they were standing in an area that Rumpleteazer recognized very well. It was the dungeon home that Dymian had taken her to once before, to sing to her, to show her that they were indeed, alike…and….Something else had happened here, though she couldn't at all remember what it might be.

Dymian gently let her from his grip, and took her paw gently, leading her to a small bed in the corner of the room that she hadn't noticed on their previous visit. He sat her down upon it, and kneeled in front of her, his eyes quiet, searching hers. She stared back at him, so confused that she could barely think at all. Slowly, Dymian broke the silence.

"Rumple…You must tell me, before I inform you of how I came to live…Did you mean what you said?"

"I…what?"

"Did you mean it, when you said you….love me?

"Oh…I….Of course I meant it…I meant every word…and action."

Dymian seemed to melt at those words. His mouth twisted into a smile, and he leapt up to Teazer's level, pressing his lips to hers without her permission, claiming them as his own at last. Teazer tried to breathe, tried to get some air in the lungs that were screaming. Why had she not taken a breath before? She had had access to all the boring air she wanted, and now…Now she was caught in this kiss, this glorious and beautiful kiss….And then, all too soon, it as over. Dymian had broken away, and was slinking back, as though afraid she may hit him for his actions. Teazer stared blankly at him, her mind all in a whirl, confused, but not entirely unhappy that she was. For a moment, the two stared at each other. Then, softly, Teazer spoke.

"How…How did you get like this?"

Dymian sighed deeply and sat down on top of a table that stood behind him. "It's not a nice story…And you must promise to stop me if you hear anything that should make you feel ill."

Teazer nodded quickly, her eyes glued to Dymian's face. He seemed uncomfortable with this, and dropped his gaze to the floor as he began his story.

"I was already quite weak when the Jellicles came to take me away, and, as you saw, I didn't have the strength to do any magic or even to fight back. So, I let them take me, and I prayed for a quick and clean ending. The Everlasting Cat didn't see fit to grant me this wish. I've never been on great terms with him. Frankly, I've spent a great deal of my life believing that he doesn't exist. I'm still not so sure that he does."

"In any case, they brought me to the Junkyard and tied me up against the tire, as you saw. They told me that they were going to leave me there until morning. I knew very well that I would not survive the night, with my wounds and all the blood I had lost, so I begged them to reconsider, to finish me now. They only laughed, and left me there to suffer. It was the worst hour or so that I have ever had to experience. The only thing that kept me from succumbing to despair was thoughts of you…Those last few moments that I was permitted to spend with you…They were the happiest moments of my life."

"Eventually, I could feel myself beginning to die. It isn't as bad as you may think. The pain doesn't get worse- it just seems to fade away, and, for a moment, you can't feel anything at all except the beating of your heart….And then that disappears too. And you're just floating in space. There's no white light, no tunnel. You're just floating there, and you know you're waiting for something, but you're not sure what. Suddenly, from the silence, I heard your voice. You were singing something that I couldn't make out, but it sounded somewhat like an enchantment of some sort. I attributed this to my remorse at having to leave you. As I was thinking this, the blackness suddenly disappeared and I found myself back in the Junkyard, still tied to the tire."

"As you can imagine, I was very confused, and I started to struggle against the ropes again, only to discover that they offered no resistance. I easily stepped away from the tire. It was then I realized the state that I was in. As you can well imagine, I panicked and started yelling and screaming, only to discover that no one could hear me. As I had just begun to give up hope, I saw you coming over the hill of trash. I watched you and spoke out and…well…That's how I became like this…"

Dymian took a deep shuddering breath after finished his story and looked at Teazer, who was staring at him, opened mouth and shocked.


	28. The Mirror

"I….I think I did it…"

Dymian raised his eyebrows at the little Queen on the bed, who was staring up at him, wide eyed. "You? How could you have done that? You don't have any magic in your blood…Do you...?

Rumpleteazer shrugged, biting her lip. "I…There was this spell that Macavity used to do, to heal some of the better Henchcats when they got hurt in battle. He used it on Jerrie once. I saw him do it so many times that I know it by heart. And…There was some of your blood on the ground…And I just had to try…"

Dymian stared at her, thinking hard. He didn't know quite what to make of her at the moment. It was quite possible that she was telling the truth…Strange things did happen at times. And it was widely known that every Jellicle cat has a bit of magic in them…But it would only show itself when dire need arose. Those who could control it and use it whenever they liked (like himself) were normally born with an unusually large amount of magic in their system…Rather like being born with too much blood. It would bounce around inside you and explode at odd moments, until you learned to harness it.

Slowly, Dymian reached forward and pressed his paw against Rumple's cheek. She let out a long sigh and dropped her gaze to her lap. She studied her paws, still covered with dry blood, making her fur clump together and stick out in odd places. This was Dymian's blood…

"Rumple…You saved my life…"

"Did I…? What happened to you, then? The spell is supposed to reverse any damage…You look like a ghost…"

Dymian sighed softly and ran his paw over her cheek, biting his lip (which, with his large and sharp fangs, was a feat to accomplish without hurting himself). He had a theory…but, for all he knew, it could have been completely off the mark.

"The last ditch efforts of a non-magical cat can only do so much, love…I think…I think you brought me back in a form that only you can see…I was already dead when you tried the spell…And that spell isn't meant to bring anyone back to life, even in the best of circumstances. It's a miracle that you did this much, it really is…I am, in essence…A ghost to everyone else…I am only alive to the cat who wanted to see me brought back…You… "

Rumple stared up at him, her eyes wide and innocent, completely bemused by this explanation.

"I…I see…", She lied.

Dymian's eyes flitted between her caramel colored ones and, for once, he couldn't read her emotions or her thoughts, something he was normally able to do with ease. Perhaps he had lost this particular power when he had been brought back to life…He made a mental note to find out what other things he had lost.

"Rumple….You are happy that I'm here…Aren't you?"

Rumpleteazer looked up at this Tom, so different from the first moment she had seen him. He had caused her so much pain…Had caused her to send her own twin brother away, had killed Jemima, had killed Old Deuteronomy! She wanted to hate him…She needed to hate him…but, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Those eyes….Once a pitch black, swimming with emotions she could never read, now a dark blue, swirling around like water in a bowl. It almost made her sick to look at them for too long. He had killed too many…

"Dymian…I need…I need to think…Would you mind too much if I just…left, for a little while? Just enough to collect my thoughts…Please…"

Dymian looked down at his little Queen. She was, indeed, his…Even she couldn't deny the feelings that she felt…He knew she must feel them, even though he couldn't tell anymore. Still…If he let her go now, he might never see her again! What if the Jellicles saw her, and tried to take her back into the Junkyard? She wouldn't go…Would she? No…She loved him now, he was sure of it…She wouldn't just leave him in that way…

"You may go…But please be back before the sun fully rises…"

Rumpleteazer nodded slowly, and looked around, searching for a way out. She hadn't thought of this. How was she meant to get out…And, for that matter, how was she meant to get back in? Dymian saw her struggling and cleared his throat loudly, pointing to a curtain that lay over a seemingly bare patch of wall. As he pointed to it, the curtain slowly raised itself, revealing a large mirror. Teazer remembered how they had gotten in last time- this mirror led directly to the one that sat in her den. She gave a nod of thanks to Dymian and cautiously walked towards the mirror. As she crept nearer, the image on the glassy surface changed from her timid, carefully moving figure to the clearly visible inside of her den. She stopped in shock and stared for a moment. The mirror had been positioned in such a way that only her bed was visible- Jerrie's was farther than the mirror could reflect. Teazer shivered slightly as she thought about the purposes this mirror may have served to Dymian, with this perfect position for watching her sleep. This must have been how he had spoken to her that night, so long ago…It didn't even seem to be her own memory anymore, it had happened so long ago, seemed so apart from her.

After a moment of watching this mirror, Teazer caught hold of her senses again, and continued forward again, all the while very aware of Dymian's eyes on her back, watching her carefully. She had no doubt that he would find some way of watching her while she was roaming the Junkyard- he was not likely to let her go out all on her own, not when he believed he was now to have her to himself forever and always.

She reached the mirror and bit her lip for a moment, unsure what exactly she was meant to do, how she was meant to go about using it. Dymian seemed in no hurry to help her this time. Slowly, experimentally, she stuck out a paw, and touched one claw to the surface of the mirror. To her surprise, her claw sunk right through, sending ripples throughout the glass, as though it were made of little more than water. She pressed her paw further into the mirror, until she was up to her shoulder in the mirror. To her surprise, she felt her paw leave the watery glass and find fresh air. Looking through the mirror, she could see that her paw had made its way through to the other side. It seemed safe enough….

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Teazer closed her eyes, and stepped through the mirror. It was though someone had dunked her under the water of a deep pool. Her feet seemed to leave any sense of solid ground. She couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't hear a thing except for her own frantic heart beat. Desperately, she kicked her legs, trying to find the ground again. As she kicked, she felt her right foot leave the watery glass and hit air. With a tremendous burst of strength, she kicked her other leg out behind her, and propelled herself through the mirror, landing in a heap of fur and limbs on the other side. Gasping and panted, she got up, trembling from head to toe. The mirror seemed solid once again and, when she walked towards it, reflected nothing except her scared and blood covered face. In a hoarse voice, she whispered, "Dymian…I'll be back soon, I promise. Just let me in when I return…"


	29. The Thief's Return

In another part of the Junkyard, just on the outskirts of the dump, Mungojerrie was stumbling over small piles of trash. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as though he had been hit over the head with a bat. It was easy to tell that he had been nipping at the cat nip. Where he might have gotten it was not entirely clear. Jerrie had never been one to even touch the stuff- he was so easily excited by thieving and the like that he never really needed it. But he honestly didn't even see the point of living any more. He honestly and truly wanted to die. He had nothing left to live for, no one else to go to. Rumpleteazer had abandoned him, and Jemima was gone…Gone forever.

As Jerrie made his way groggily across the trash heap, he became vaguely aware of the sound of another cat climbing through all the trash. He looked up. The world seemed a hazy and unreal place through his dazed and confused fog, but he could make out a small orange- looking figure moving quickly along a path between two piles of refuse.

"Hey! Hey, you! What are you doing here?" Jerrie yelled, his voice slurred, tripping over his words.

The figure looked up, and a squeal echoed across the dump. Jerrie squinted, trying to identify the figure that was now racing towards him. Before he had time to react in any way, the figure barreled into him, screaming, "Jerrie! Jerrie! You're here!"

"Oi! Geddoff! Geddoff!"

The figure relinquished its hold on him and stepped back, giving Jerrie a chance to identify his attacker. After a moment of careful studying, he whispered, dumbstruck, "….Rumpleteazer?"

The Queen beamed, shaking from head to toe with happiness and excitement. She was amazed and overjoyed that she had been able to find her brother so quickly, that she had been able to find him at all! She hardly dared to believe her good fortune. She had only just left her den a few moments ago when she had heard the sifting of trash from behind her den, and had followed it curiously. Only a little while later, she had heard Jerrie screaming at her, as he had often done before, and had come to him as fast as her legs would carry her. But, as she stared at her twin's familiar face, she noticed that something was very wrong.

Mungojerrie's eyes were bright red and bloodshot and, as he stared at her, it seemed as though there was a film over his eyes, making him look distant and unreachable. His ears were flopped over on his head, giving him the look of a sad Pollicle, and his nose was bone dry- Teazer could see that without even getting too close. He simply didn't look well.

"Yes…It's me…Jerrie….What happened to you…?"

"You came back for me…"

Jerrie simply stared at her for a moment after this, swaying gently from side to side, his mouth slightly open as though he were about to say something to her. Then, seemingly in slow motion, he began to fall forward, and Teazer shot out her arms, giving a cry of horror as he fell into them, unmoving and still. With another scream, she frantically searched for his wrist, trying to find a pulse, any sign that he was alive. She pressed her paw to his forehead, staying very still, waiting….She gave a sigh of slight relief as she felt the tiny beat of his heart against her paw. Carefully, she pulled him closer to her, with just one thought looping around and around in her frantic mind- she had to get him back to their den.

With a great burst of strength, she began to tug her brother along with her as she walked, back down the hill of trash, heading for the den. Every step was agony, with Jerrie's additional weight slowing her down. Finally, after a long bout of painful carrying and dragging, she reached the entrance to her den and cried out, trying to alert Dymian to the fact that she needed his help, any sort of help.

"Dymian! Dymian, please! Please, help me! I don't know what's wrong with him!"

She continued to cry as she stood in the doorway, her legs shaking under the weight of her brother, her eyes filled with tears. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, there was movement in the left corner of the den. Teazer looked over to see a rather strange sight.

The mirror, though still reflecting the den around it, had now a new addition to the picture- The simple outline of Dymian's figure had appeared in the middle of the full length mirror. As she stared, dumbstruck, so confused that she even forgot to cry out for him, the line grew steadily firmer, and began to add detail- The entire figure began to turn a steady shade of black, with two spots of ice blue. The features of his face came into clearer focus and, before she could say a word, Dymian was standing in the mirror, looking out at her. After a moment of assessing the situation, he spoke.

"Who is that…?"

It took a moment for Teazer to find her voice again, "This…This is my brother, Mungojerrie…Please, I don't know what's wrong with him! He just..collapsed…"

Dymian stared at the pair for a moment, a crease across his forehead. Teazer could tell that he was confused as to why she had brought him here, and why she was trying to save the creature that she had obviously driven away. Though Teazer didn't know it, he was also experiencing something that was still quite new to him- shame. He recognized the name…This was the name that had been on the tag that had hung around Teazer's neck at what was supposed to be their wedding. Her brother…Not her lover. How horrible this must have seemed to her…That his jealousy would blot out even his common sense.

"Dymian, help him!"

He was shaken from his thoughts by the Queen's pitiful cry and shook his head, trying to clear it. He did have to help the Tom…It was the only thing that would make Teazer happy.

There was a sort of a plop sound, like the sound you get when you drop a stone into a pond, and Dymian broke through the mirror, hurrying to Teazer's side. He gently eased Jerrie from her grateful arms, and carried him effortlessly over to his bed. Even in his ghostly state, he was still able to touch, to feel, to pick things up.

Rumpleteazer followed him quickly, and watched anxiously as he bent over her brother's still body, prodding here and there, checking for signs that he was, indeed, alive…that he hadn't left the world.

After a moment, Dymian looked up with a small sigh, "He's alive….But not by much. There aren't many cats that can take that amount of cat nip and come out alive…"

"What? Cat nip?"

Teazer stared up at Dymian, bewildered. She knew, of course, what cat nip was. She just had no idea where and why her brother had gotten it. He had never shown any interest in the stuff, had never had any desire for it. Why now….?

Dymian nodded slowly, still looking over Jerrie's body, "I'm guessing he got it from some cat on the street…It's not hard to get, you know. Human's don't know how powerful it really is…What it can do to us…I can help him…But he'll be lucky if he pulls through at all. If he does…I don't think he'll ever be the same again. It's a powerful thing…It can mess with your mind…Make you think that things are there that aren't….He'll be insane."


	30. Waiting

**This is a horrible chapter, I know -.- Shameless filler...But I really couldn't think of what else to write and...Ya...You know what, just skip this chapter. Nothing important happens and it'll save me embarrassment :D**

It felt as though someone had hit her in the stomach with a boulder. She couldn't breathe, couldn't comprehend. This wasn't right, this COULDN'T be right…Her brother, her other half, her twin! He was part of her in the same way that her paw was or her leg. He had to be alright…He just had to be…

"Dymian…you have to be able to do something! Anything! Please…He's my brother…I can't live without him…"

Dymian looked down at the shaking Queen and felt his heart swell with affection for her. He could deny her nothing. He had to save this Tom, even if he disagreed with it entirely…It would make her happy. And that was worth any price, no matter how great.

"I may be able to do something for him…But please, Rumple, love…Don't count on it…It is very likely that he won't survive till morning…"

Rumpleteazer bit her lip, glancing outside. She could see the sunrise beginning…They didn't have much time before the entire Junkyard would begin to rise. If they were to find her there, with Mungojerrie…There would be questions. They would make her stay. She couldn't have that…

"Dymian…Let's take him into your den…Please, the Junkyard will be awake soon! They'll find us…."

Dymian stared at her, conflicted. No one, except for his dear Rumpleteazer, had ever ventured into his world. It was a sacred place, the only place he could escape to in order to get away from a world that despised him. But…She looked so desperate, so helpless…How could he deny her?

With a wordless nod, he scooped up Mungojerrie again, and headed for the mirror, motioning for Rumpleteazer to follow him, which she did, casting a quick last glance at the den as she slipped into the mirror again. The transition was much easier this time, as she knew what to expect, and she simply passed right through without any hesitation.

Dymian was laying Mungojerrie down on the bed when she entered, and he looked back at her for a moment, murmuring, "Close the curtain…They'll be able to hear us if you don't."

She let the curtain down silently, thinking to herself that the curtain must be of some magical substance that blocked noise. She made to come to Dymian's side, but he stopped her with an outstretched paw, saying gruffly, "No…This will be gruesome…I doubt that you will be able to stomach it, and I can really only doctor one unconscious cat at a time."

He turned to look at her fully, his expression softening as he saw her trembling and terrified figure. She was still covered in blood and looked quite pathetic, to be honest. He could still see her radiant beauty, however. It would take much more than some blood to cover that. "Rumple…There's a basin in the back, through the red curtain…Why don't you go wash up?"

Teazer looked as though she was going to protest, but Dymian silenced her with a claw to her lips. "Please….I need to concentrate fully if this is going to work. And if you were here, I'd be too tempted to look at you…"

With a small smirk that revealed he didn't grasp the gravity of the situation for Teazer, he gave her a tiny shove, and she began to stumble off towards the back of the den.

She had never been any farther than the bedroom of this enormous place, and she was, truthfully, eager to explore- but this wasn't the time! She wanted to be by her brother's side, to help in any small way that she could. She had never felt so helpless, not even when Dymian had been taken away. At least then, she could follow and save him, somehow. But now, there was nothing at all that she could do, except wait.

With a last look over her shoulder at the stone, circular room that served as both bedroom and inventing room for Dymian, Teazer left, pushing aside the black curtain that separated the rooms.

She stepped into a hallway, carved completely from stone. As she stood there, she noticed something strange. Normally, when something is carved from stone, there are marks on the wall, indicating where it has been chiseled at. But here, there were no marks. The wall was completely smooth, and, as Teazer rested a paw on the cold rock, she could feel nothing abnormal about it. It was as though they had been carved out by magic…Which, she thought to herself, it probably had been. Dymian wouldn't have spent the time to carve it out himself, though, with his physique, it probably wouldn't have taken him very long to.

She shook herself, and began to walk, not letting herself be distracted again. She needed to hurry and wash herself, just so she could be back at her brother's side. Dymian wouldn't have any excuse to send her away then.

As she walked, she noticed that there were curtains hung at different places along the wall, all different colors. These presumably covered the entrances to other rooms. Her eyes flicked along the curtains, looking for red. Purple, blue, yellow….Red. She stopped and pushed the curtain aside. Inside was a large, white tub, with a metal tube leading into it from the wall, accompanied by two tiny wheel shaped objects. Teazer stepped gingerly forward, and examined the two wheels. On one was inscribed a small H; on the other, a C. Confused, she reached forward and turned the H wheel. She screamed loudly as water began to spill into the tub from the tube, steam rising from it as it gushed in. After a moment of careful observing from a safe distance, she realized that the tube must be meant to fill the tub. The tub was nearly full by the time that she figured this out, so she reached forward, experimentally turning the H wheel the other way. As she suspected it would, the water shut off.

She carefully squinted down at the water, trying to determine if it was safe to touch. She reached out a paw and dipped it in the water. It was warm, but not scalding hot. Acceptable enough…Slowly, she dipped her entire arm in, watching the blood slowly seep into the clear water, turning it a bright red. She carefully ran her other paw over it, washing the blood off. It was in this manner that she managed to wash her entire body, though it was slow going at first.

Finally, after she had washed all the blood from her body and the water looked like a murder scene, Teazer stood up fully again, shaking slightly, dripping wet. She caught sight of a fluffy towel draped over the side of a chair in the corner of the room. She rushed over and wrapped herself in it, eternally grateful for its warmth at that moment. After she had dried herself off, she put the towel back on the chair and stared at the curtain that led to the hallway. She had to go back now…She wanted to…But she was scared to death of what she might find. With a deep shuddering breath, she forced herself to walk through the curtain and down the hallway, towards where Dymian and Jerrie were.


	31. When Dreaming Ends

As Rumpleteazer ventured into the bedroom, she heard a loud cry of complete joy and happiness. She turned to look at the bed that Jerrie had been laying on to see him running towards her, completely healed to her eyes.

"TEAZER!"

He caught her in a bone crushing hug, and Teazer screamed with joy, hugging him back. There was silence for a moment as the siblings embraced. Neither of them noticed Dymian standing back, completely forgotten in this moment of happiness. He sat himself down on the bed, watching the siblings together, his heart aching. She had never hugged him like that…Come to think of it, she had never really held him…

Dymian cleared his throat loudly, snapping the two from their happy reunion. Teazer broke away from Jerrie, looking flustered, and turned to Dymian. "Thank you so much…I can never do enough to repay you…"

"No repayment necessary, my love…I serve only to please you." The black Tom murmured with a small bow of his head.

Mungojerrie looked at Rumpleteazer for a moment, completely bemused. She was talking into midair as though someone was there…Perhaps she hadn't escaped from Dymian's clutches completely unharmed. "Teazer…Who are you talking to?"

Teazer's eyes widened and she turned back to her brother. She had completely forgotten that she was the only one who was able to see Dymian. "Oh…I…No one…"

Jerrie didn't seem to believe her at all, but he let the subject drop for the moment. He looked around the cave like area that he had apparently been taken to by Teazer. "What happened to me? And where are we?"

Teazer bit her lip, sparing a quick glance at Dymian, whose gaze could have melted steel. It was obvious that she was not to tell him where they were or what had really happened. "We…We're in a section of the No Man's Land. I took you here because it was the closest place I could find…You fainted earlier and I took you here and laid you down. You've been out cold for about an hour…"

Jerrie accepted this explanation without comment. "Well…We have to get back home now! The Jellicles will be missing us both…And you have to tell me what happened to Dymian."

Teazer froze, staring at a spot just above Jerrie's head where Jerrie could see nothing, but Teazer could see the great looming form of Dymian approaching from behind. Before she could say a word, he had brought his fist down hard on the top of Jerrie's head. Jerrie stared blankly forward for a moment, swaying slightly from side to side…And then he toppled over.

Rumpleteazer screamed and knelt beside her brother, "Why the hell did you do that?"

Dymian stared quietly down at the body. He didn't seem to hear what she said. "You cannot see him again."

"What? Dymian, he's my brother! I-"

"SILENCE!" Dymian screamed. He was overcome with jealousy and anger. So his suspicion had been right! He had seen the passion in her eyes when she had hugged that fop of a Tom, had seem the bliss in his eyes. He wasn't stupid enough to be fooled like that. They were lovers…He knew it, they had to be. And that was something he couldn't allow.

Teazer shuddered beneath the angry gaze of Dymian. His rage was terrible, surpassing the rage of Macavity by miles. This wasn't a rage that was physically shown- It was something you could sense, something that filled one with fear to the very top because one knew he was capable of anything at that moment.

In a very quiet and dangerous whisper, he said, "You will take him back to your den. And you will come straight back here."

Teazer whimpered and quickly did as she was told. She scooped up the body of her brother and carried him painfully across the mirror and to his bed in their den. She laid him down, grabbing his wrist to feel for a pulse. It was there, she could feel it. He was alive…

She scurried back into the room, and Dymian smiled sinisterly down at her. "I forbid you to ever see him again…"

"What? No! You can't do that! I can walk through there and see him anytime I like! YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME!"

Dymian didn't rise to this. Very calmly and carefully, he bent over, picking up a stray candle stand from the floor. With a burst of strength, he flung it at the mirror. Teazer screamed as the mirror shattered completely, revealing a rock wall behind it. It was gone…The only portal to the normal world was gone! She was stuck here…Forever….

"Let's see you get to your precious brother now…"


	32. Agony

The next few weeks passed slowly and painfully for Rumpleteazer. She was certain she must be losing her mind. How could she avoid it, when there was nothing to do but walk from room to room, and try to avoid Dymian's evil glare? He could tell that she was not happy and, instead of evoking sympathy, this only made him angry.

After perhaps the first three days, she began to lose count of the days. Why should she bother keeping track? It made it seem as though there were some hope for escape or rescue, some way that she could get out of this hell. But there was nowhere to go, no one to help her.

On the 20th day, Rumpleteazer was curled up in a ball in the room that Dymian had provided for her. It was the only place where she could be completely sure that he wouldn't tread. He respected her privacy at least that much. But she couldn't stay in there for much longer, she knew. She could tell that it was getting close to daybreak, and Dymian would be calling her to have breakfast. Every morning, she had breakfast with him, and every evening, she had dinner. There was no other choice. It was either that, or go without food. She had tried that for the first few days, she had been so angry at Dymian for all that he had done to her. But she had quickly found herself unable to resist the tempting smell of fish and meat from the dining room, and had resigned herself to eat silently with him. He did not force her to speak to him, which she supposed she should be grateful for. But it was still unnerving to see him sitting there, at the other end of the small table, watching her, every morning and evening. He never seemed to even eat, or at least Teazer had not seen him do so. Perhaps, in his state, he no longer had any need for food, she mused.

As she contemplated this, staring dully at the blank stone wall in front of her, a loud knock sounded on the wall outside her room. Slowly, she sat up, looking at the wall. The curtain that served as a door for her room was rustling slightly, as though someone was standing right outside it.

"Hello?" She ventured.

Her voice was raspy and quiet from lack of use, and she tried to clear it, her eyes darting from the wall to the curtain. "Hello?" She whispered again.

Still there was no response. After a moment, Teazer stood up from the bed, and walked cautiously towards the curtain. It rustled expectantly at her, urging her closer. In one swift movement, Teazer reached out her paw, and yanked the curtain open.

There was nothing there. She poked her head out the opening, and stared down the hall. There was no one there either. Teazer let out a sigh of relief, and began to retreat back into the safety of her room. As she did so, however, a small sign of movement down the left hallway caught her eye. As she focused on it, she could see a light glowing from underneath a black curtain near the end of the hallway, next to the bathroom. The curtain was covering another opening in the stone wall that she had never paid much attention to before. Thinking that Dymian was trying to call her in his own strange way, Teazer walked slowly forward, reluctant to meet with him again.

She reached the curtain and pulled it back, preparing herself for Dymian's evil stare. But he wasn't there. No one was there. The room was completely empty, except for a large, full length mirror propped up against the rough wall.

Teazer's heart skipped a beat. A mirror! A way home! Dymian hadn't completely destroyed her way back after all! She could see Jerrie again…

After a moment of stunned contemplation, she started forward, her heart pulsing madly as she approached. Would it be right to leave? To abandon Dymian in this dark and desperate place? But he had been so horrible to her…She had brought him back to life, and he had taken her life away! She couldn't stay…Not with him.

Without a second look behind her, Teazer stepped forward, trusting that the mirror would take her in.

She felt the now familiar feeling of the mirror engulfing her, the feeling of wet and dry at the same time. She walked quickly through it, her eyes tightly shut.

As she emerged, her fur once again miraculously dry, Teazer slowly opened her eyes- and let out a gasp of horror.

This was defiantly not the Junkyard. In fact, it didn't look like any place on Earth. The floor wasn't concrete or gravel or even grass. It seemed to be some sort of fluffy substance, pure white, and so soft that it made you feel as though you could sink right into it, and never be found again. As Teazer looked out onto the horizon, she saw only sky, dark as night. The moon was high in the sky tonight, and the sky was splattered with stars. There was no one and nothing around, except for a full expanse of clouds and sky. Slowly, as Teazer looked on, scared to death at what she had found, figures began to appear in the moonlight. They seemed to simply drop into existence out of nothing, millions and millions of cats as far as the eye could see, all dancing in praise to the Jellicle moon.

Teazer watched, bemused, unsure what she was meant to do or think. She had to leave, had to get out of this place…This wasn't she was meant to be. She didn't even know where she was! Before she could bring herself to make a move, however, one of the many cats turned her way- and let out a cry. Teazer's heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. That short stature, that tiny face, the pink tipped ears….It was Jemima!

"Rumpleteazer?" Jemima cried, her eyes wide and unbelieving.

"Jemima! What are you doing here?" Teazer screamed, feeling tears coming to her eyes.

Jemima began running towards her and, as she did, Teazer could see that her figure had been perfectly restored. There was no sign whatsoever of trauma or any sort of pain. She almost seemed to glide over the fluffy surface, her face bright, almost glowing with happiness. "Teazer! Why are you here? What happened?"

"I…I don't really know…I just…I walked through a mirror because I thought it would take me back to the Junkyard, and…" Teazer mumbled quietly, dumbstruck, "But what are you doing here? I thought…I thought you died…"

Jemima raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly confused, "Of course I died! Why do you think I'm here?"

"Where is here…?"

"You mean you don't know? Teazer….You're in the Heaviside layer."


	33. The Heaviside Layer

**Hey, you guys! I know I haven't spoken to you in a while, but I've been really busy with some things going on in my life. But I'm back now! I actually put in a bit of an Easter Egg in this chapter, see if you can find it ;)**

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"What? The Heaviside layer? NO! You're lying!"

"Teazer, calm down, I-"

"NO, I will not calm down! You're lying! I can't be dead! I can't be..."

Rumpleteazer backed up slowly away from Jemima's concerned face, shaking her head. Her heart was pounding fast in her chest- which proved it! She couldn't be dead! This wasn't real, wasn't possible...It had to be a dream. That was the only explanation.

"Teazer, please...I know someone who can help you figure this out. Let me take you to her, please..."

Teazer shot a quick glance over her shoulder, to search for something, anything that would show where she had come from...But there was nothing there. The mirror, had it ever been there, was gone without a trace. Slowly, she looked back at the tiny pink and brown Queen.

"Who are you going to take me to...?" She murmured quietly.

"You'll see..."

Jemima smiled encouragingly, and beckoned for Teazer to follow her as she turned around, heading into the sea of dancing cats. Rumpleteazer stared at her for a moment, astounded at her matter of fact tone. She didn't seem shaken at all that the calico Queen had suddenly appeared in the Heaviside layer with no obvious explanation for being there. But, then again, this was a dream...And things did tend to be rather odd in dreams anyway. Seeing as it was a dream, however, the logical thing to do, Teazer reasoned, was to follow Jemima. It would keep the dream going on a bit longer, and the longer she was asleep, the longer she could escape from the dark and horrible prison that she now had to call home- and from Dymian.

Teazer quickly hurried after Jemima, looking around in wonder at the dancing cats as she did so. They seemed to know when Jemima was coming, and carefully danced around her, making sure they didn't harm her. Teazer had always thought that the Jellicle dancers were the best in all the world, but these cats had skill far surpassing even Victoria. They were so small and delicate in their actions that their feet hardly seemed to touch the ground between leaps and turns.

As the two Queens walked through the dancing cats, they slowly began to thin out, giving way to smaller groups of cats, all doing the things that cats like to do best- chasing mice, talking, and, of course, sleeping. There was even a Tom with a large ruff around his neck playing the bagpipes, and a older Queen knitting away at a large scarf. Teazer thought that these two cats looked somewhat familiar, but Jemima pulled her along before she could get a good look.

These groups eventually faded away as well, and large groups of dens replaced them. Kittens were running everywhere, playing Cat and Mouse. Queens were sitting near their dens, talking to each other and watching over the kittens. Toms were talking to one another everywhere, showing off for their Queens, and showing off their dens.

"This is the Heaviside layer...?"

"Yes! Isn't it wonderful?"

"It's amazing...Where do you live?"

Jemima pointed with one claw across what Teazer assumed was a street that they were walking on, to a modest den made out of a wastebasket. "I don't really need a big den, since...I am all alone..."

Teazer glanced over at Jemima to see that she was biting her lip as she lowered her arm. "Jemima..."

Jemima shook her head and waved a paw at Teazer's concern. "I'm fine, I really am! I just...worry about him...Is he alright?"

"He..."

Teazer hesitated. She didn't want to say that she didn't know, that the last time she had seen her brother, he had just recovered from a horrible overdose of catnip, and had also just been hit over the head by someone Teazer believed to be her friend.

"He misses you..."

Jemima nodded slowly, biting her lip to keep it from trembling, "I miss him too...I mean, I'm very happy to be here. The Heaviside layer is a wonderful place...But I miss him..."

They stood, silent for a moment, watching the bustle around them. Finally, Jemima looked up and smiled softly, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have reacted like that. I'm sure that you miss him too..."

She looked sympathetically at Rumpleteazer, who nodded slowly, watching a tiny kitten across the way playing with a large ball of yarn. She did miss him, horribly and completely. But, then again, there were lots of things that she missed. She missed her life. Frankly, she didn't know what she wanted anymore. Things would never be the same again, no matter how she tried to forget what had happened to her.

"You'll get used to it, I promise! Now, come on! You have to meet her!"

Jemima smiled and hurried off down the street, leaving Rumpleteazer to run after her.

They passed rows and rows of homes before they finally came to a gorgeous palace, pure white, that towered over all the other dens. There was no way to describe the palace. It seemed to glow with majesty and beauty.

Jemima slowly walked into the palace, beckoning for Teazer to follow her in. Teazer slowly did so, looking around cautiously. The inside of the palace was just as beautiful and indescribable as the outside, beautifully decorated and painted. After Teazer had looked around at the room, she looked forward- and gave an involuntary gasp.

At the end of the room was a golden throne, and sitting in that throne was the most beautiful Queen that Teazer had ever seen in her entire life. She was pure white, with not even a marking on her face oir shoulders, as Victoria had, and almost seemed to glow with some sort of divine power. And, somehow, Teazer knew who she was, even before Jemima had bowed before the Queen and whispered, "My Queen...I have brought you a new arrival...She doesn't understand why or how she came to be here...And she didn't appear in the normal spot for new arrivals..."

The Queen looked up, and flashed a dazzling smile at Teazer from across the room, "Hello, my child...My name is Celinette...But you may know me better as the Everlasting Cat."


	34. The Proposal

Slowly, Teazer sank to her knees in awe of this magnificent creature that sat on the throne before her. The Everlasting Cat? She had never thought she would ever meet her in person!

"Please rise, my children..." A very soft and beautiful voice whispered.

Jemima and Teazer both stood, staring up at the beautiful cat, who smiled down at them, flicking her long tail. There was silence as the Queen stared down at them, surveying them carefully. After a moment, she spoke again. "Welcome, Jemima and Rumpleteazer..."

Teazer felt a shiver run down her spine as the Queen murmured her name. Jemima didn't seem too affected and bowed her head respectfully before speaking.

"Thank you for seeing us, my Queen. We have come with a question for you."

Celinette rose a paw before Jemima could continue, smiling gracefully down at them both before speaking again, "You wish to know why and how Rumpleteazer came to be here, correct?"

Teazer's eyes widened and she forced herself to keep calm as the Queen turned her eyes from Jemima. Slowly, Teazer nodded.

"I will answer your question, Rumpleteazer. But this answer will not please you, I can promise you that. Jemima, this conversation must be a private one between Rumpleteazer and I."

Jemima nodded and bowed low before hurrying out of the room, shooting a reassuring smile at Teazer as she left. The Queen looked solemnly down on Teazer, surveying her again as she whispered, "I suppose the best way to begin would be to tell you the story of Dymian's life thus far."

Teazer nodded slowly. At this point, she had given up all hope of making sense of all that has happened, and had decided to just follow along with what was happening at the moment.

"Dymian was born about 6 years, and his mother abandoned him as soon as he was old enough to fend for himself. He was born with the misfortune disfigurement of his face, and his mother thought it a sign that he was born to become a Henchcat. You see, Henchcats had existed for many years, long before Macavity was born. Macavity had brought the Henchcats to their most powerful point."

"Dymian wandered from place to place, barely managing to survive. After a year of living as a fugitive, he stumbled across the Junkyard, on what happened to be the night of the Jellicle Ball. He was amazed at such a large group of cats living in such perfect harmony. Filled with hope, he rushed into the throng, praying that he would be accepted. The Jellicles were horrified by his face and threw him out of the Junkyard, calling him a horrible creature. Dymian would always remember this, and bared a lifelong grudge against the Jellicles for it. Around this time, Dymian began to realize his magical powers. Rather than find a master to teach him, like most young magicians do, Dymian had to teach himself to control his power. In doing so, he unlocked a kind of immense power that even masters struggle to find in themselves."

"This power, instead of aiding Dymian in his life, only made him struggle more. Cats thought he came from the very Devil himself, with power like that. The only option that seemed open to him was to join the Henchcats. But he at least held out on that point. He refused to become what his mother had told him he would be. Resigned to a life alone, he used his power to create a home for himself- a home that now serves as your prison. He often crept out to the Junkyard when no one as around and stole food so he could survive. His hunting skills have never been wonderful, and he covers for it by telling himself that he, a master of magic, is above such trivial tasks as hunting."

"Consequently, he began to recognize some of the Jellicles that lived in the Junkyard. One he took special interest in was you. Finally, he got up the courage to speak to you- and has haunted you all these years in his desire and obsession with you."

Rumpleteazer stared at the Everlasting Cat, biting her lip. She wanted to feel pity for Dymian, she really did...But he had done so much to hurt her. How could she feel anything but hate for him?

Celinette looked down at her with a understanding smile, "I know how you feel, my child. I feel the same. When he lay dying, it was difficult for me to decide whether he deserved deliverance to the Heaviside layer. I didn't feel that his life had been good enough to warrant a return to the Heaviside layer, nor did I feel that his life had been bad enough for damnation. But, before I could decide what to do with him, he had been return to the Earth, without any action on my part!"

Teazer hung her head. "I didn't mean to do it, honest I-"

"Hush, Rumpleteazer!" Celinette held up her paw for quiet.

"I do not hold you in ill will. You did not mean to do what you did. However, your actions have tampered with the running of the Heaviside layer. You see, every cat has a spot reserved for them in the Heaviside layer. If they didn't, they wouldn't be able to come here. By bringing Dymian back to life, you closed up his spot in the Heaviside layer. He cannot come here. Ever."

Teazer slowly looked up at the Everlasting Cat. "I...What? So he'll live forever?"

Celinette shook her head sadly, "Unfortunatly, no. He doesn't have much longer to live, I'm afraid. Your magic could only do so much. He will die within the next week. And, if we do not do something, he will be damned."

Teazer stared at Celinette. Damned? Did Dymian deserve that? She didn't think so. He had only done the things he had done out of love.

"That is why I have brought you here, Teazer. Because you were the one who made the mistake, you must be the one to correct it. In order to bring Dymian to the Heaviside layer, you must choose a cat whose life was cut off short to bring back to Earth to live out the rest of their lives. I have chosen two cats that fit the position. They do not know that you have this choice to make. The first was Jemima."

"Her. Most defiantly."

"Calm yourself, Teazer! You have not yet heard who else I have chosen!"

Rumpleteazer hung her head again. She kept forgetting that she was speaking to the ruler of the entire Jellicle world! But this...This responsibility was immense! She had never had to make a choice as horrible as this.

"I will allow you to stay in the Heaviside layer for two days, one with each of the cats I have chosen. Then, you will return to Dymian to stay with him until he dies."

Teazer nodded slowly. Celinette's face softened as she saw the uncertian look on Teazer's face. "I understand that this responsibility is great. You are toying with lives here, and you must understand what you are doing. You don't have to do this, Rumpleteazer, you should know. We can let Dymian be damned, if you so choose."

Rumpleteazer shook her head. "No. I don't think that he deserves that much of a punishment."

Celinette nodded. "That is how I feel. Now, you must meet the other cat I have chosen. If you will turn around..."

Teazer obediently turned around towards the door- and nearly screamed.

"Rumpleteazer?"

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**Who do you guys think is gonna be the other cat that Celinette chose? Let me know! :D**


	35. The First Night

Teazer's eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the Tom in front of her.

"Alonzo…"

He was exactly as she remembered him. The mottled black and white fur, the bright blue eyes- he was absolutely perfect…

"Rumpleteazer…"

Alonzo rushed forward and caught Teazer in a bone crushing hug. "I can't believe you're actually here! What happened to you?"

"I…"

Teazer bit her lip. What was she supposed to do? How could she tell him what had happened, after the Everlasting Cat herself had told her not to? She couldn't….But what else was there to do? Make up a story about how she had died? Something told her that it would be in bad taste to lie so horribly when the Everlasting Cat was in the room. Desperate, she turned back to Celinette, who nodded with a small smile, and looked to Alonzo.

"We would both prefer, Alonzo, if you didn't ask Rumpleteazer that particular question at this time."

Alonzo looked rather confused by this, but he smiled good-naturedly all the same, and murmured, "I apologize to you both. It was not my intention to offend."

He cast a quick glance in Teazer's direction, his eyes grazing over her, hungry for her. She blushed softly and looked down, barely keeping from smiling. The Everlasting Cat either did not notice this, or had the decency to pretend that she didn't.

"Of course you didn't mean to…" Celinette nodded quietly and slowly stood from her throne, casting her pearly white glow about the room. "Now, Alonzo, if you don't mind too terribly, I would like you to escort Rumpleteazer to her den. You know where it is, I presume?"

Alonzo nodded and held out a paw to Teazer, "It's right next to mine. I can show you right away."

Rumpleteazer took the offered paw and followed Alonzo out of the palace, sparing a quick glance back at the Everlasting Cat before the doors shut behind them.

The two cats walked in silence towards the rows of dens, holding hands. For the moment, nothing needed to be said as the two soaked in the amazement of being reunited after so long.

They walked down a long street before stopping in front of two small and modest dens. The first was made from what looked like an old aquarium turned on its side and filled with pillows and blankets. The top of the aquarium was leaned against the top, providing privacy if it was desired. The second den was made from what appeared to be an oven, with the den hanging off of its hinges, and no burners inside. It was completely empty, unlike the aquarium.

"The oven is yours." Alonzo whispered softly, as though afraid to break the perfection of the moment, "If you want, we can go out tomorrow and look for comfortable things to put in it. There are huge piles of Human junk just outside this group of dens… "

"I'd like that…" Teazer smiled sweetly.

The two stared at each other for a moment, each trying to read what the other was thinking, desperate for some sort of connection.

"I'm sort of tired…" Rumpleteazer murmured gently, breaking the awkward silence.

Alonzo looked slightly disappointed, but he nodded. "Well, that makes sense. You must have had a very trying day."

He turned to face the dens and, after a moment of contemplation, bit his lip. "You know….Your den doesn't really have anything to sleep on…"

Teazer peeked around the Tom to see that what he said was true. "Oh…Well…"

"You could always spend the night in my den…It's plenty big enough for both of us."

Rumpleteazer blushed bright pink and ducked her head. Despite everything that had happened, despite the years that they had spent so far apart…She still loved him. She had always loved him. Perhaps that was the problem. She had spent all these years trying to replace him…And Dymian had been the only one who could even begin to fill his place. He had been the only Tom to show her any affection. She had never been able to tell Alonzo how she felt, and had been trying to correct her mistake by loving Dymian….

"Teazer…? Are you okay?"

The calico Queen looked up with watery eyes at the black and white mottled Tom, shaking her head quickly. She barely managed to keep herself from screaming the words she had had to hold in for three years…

"Rumpleteazer, what's wrong?"

With a shuddering sob, Teazer leaned forward and rested her head against Alonzo's chest. After a stunned moment, he relaxed, wrapping his strong arms around Teazer as she shook against him. "Sh…Teazer, calm down…Tell me what's wrong."

The words came spilling out of her mouth before she was able to stop them. Everything she could think of, she told him. Everything that had happened since his death- How she and Jerrie had worked as Henchcats for two years, how Macavity and his Henchcats had finally been accepted into the Junkyard, and Dymian…All about Dymian. She told him things about Dymian that she had never dared to say before, things that she herself didn't truly realize until she said them aloud. She only stood still when she had rid her mind of every possible thought of Dymian.

Alonzo stood in stunned silence for a moment, unsure how to take in everything that she had just said, and unsure how to comfort the crying Queen. He simply held her small body against his, running his claws through her fur. "Shh, shh…It's okay…I promise, it's not your fault…"

But Teazer refused to be comforted. She only buried her face deeper into Alonzo's chest, rocking back and forth.

"Come on...Let's get you inside…You need to lie down…"

Alonzo slowly led Teazer into his den, and sat her upon a pile of blankets on the right side of the den. She sat there, silent, her eyes filled with unshed tears, while Alonzo disappeared for a moment to pull the cover of the aquarium on, so they could have privacy. The den became dark as the entrance to the den disappeared behind the cover, until Alonzo flipped a small switch in the corner of the room, which turned on a flashlight that set the whole room aglow.

"Teazer…You mustn't blame yourself for all that has happened…Dymian's actions were his own, and you cannot blame yourself for them."

"But I enabled them!" Rumpleteazer cried, breaking her sullen silence, "If I hadn't given stayed with him, hadn't given him access to everything he needed to take over the Junkyard….Everything would have been fine! Old Deuteronomy would still be alive…Jemima would still be alive… "

Alonzo stared at the Queen that he loved so much, his heart heavy. He so desperately wanted to help her, but could not think of anything to say that would ease her pain. What she said was almost completely true…But it was a horrible burden for her to have to carry in death. If she were to continue dwelling on the past that she no longer had the ability to change, she would never find any peace. And he couldn't let her be so sad for the rest of time…

As he sat, staring at her, Teazer raised her head slowly to look at him. "And…I think I know why I did it…I did it because I still loved you…and was trying to fill the hole that you left…"

"You…You love me?"

Rumpleteazer nodded slowly, her eyes sparkling up at the spotted Tom, drinking him in. She had waited so long for this chance…Slowly, she rose to stand on four paws, and crept towards him, her heart pounding. She had to know, had to find closure for the question that had plagued her every thought for three years, though she herself had never realized it. Alonzo didn't move an inch as she reached him, her face close to his. Timidly, Teazer leaned forward and pressed her soft lips against his.

What went on in Alonzo's mind in that moment is impossible to put down in words. The closest thing that it can be related to is fireworks, all different colors, exploding in his head and heart, all at the same time. He couldn't believe that it was happening…He must have been dreaming, he thought. Even a cat in the Heaviside layer could dream like this…

The kiss grew and grew, both cats erupting in blows of passion, sinking away…


End file.
